Introduction

It is projected that one of every two Caucasian women and one of every five men will have an
osteoporosis-related fracture at some point in their lives.

Anatomy

The musculoskeletal system includes the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bursae
of the body. The problems associated with these structures are common and affect all age
groups.

The bony structure provides protection for vital organs, including the brain,

heart, and lungs.

The bony skeleton provides a sturdy framework to support body structures.

The bone matrix stores calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and fluoride.

More than 98% of the totalbody calcium is present in bone.

In addition, the red bone marrow located within bone cavities produces red and white blood
cells in a process called hematopoiesis.

Joints hold the bones together and allow the body to move.

The muscles attached to the skeleton contract, moving the bones and producing heat, which
helps to maintain body temperature.

There are 206 bones in the human body divided into four categories:

Long (femur)

Short (metacarpals)

Flat (sternum)

Irregular (vertebrae)

Long bones are designed for weight bearing and movement.

Flat bones are important sites of hematopoiesis and protection.

In conclusion, osteoporosis and its related fractures constitute a major public health in LA and
there are projections of an exponential increase in osteoporotic fractures in the region over the
next decades. These trends show the need for timely and effective diagnosis of osteoporosis to
reduce the disease burden in LA. The low self-awareness of osteoporosis and fracture risk
among LA post-menopausal women and their health care providers, and limited access and
utilization of bone densitometry and FRAX, are all important issues for immediate resolution.
Health policy makers, insurance providers (both public and private), medical societies, employer
organizations, hospitals, long-term care facilities, patients, and the general public should work to
break the treatment inertia in osteoporosis by reevaluating the importance of osteoporosis
prevention, treatment, and management as a health care priority. LA must overcome all these
issues in order to achieve the goal of preventing unnecessary fractures.