Osteoporosis in Sri Lanka

Abstract

In Sri Lanka the median age, which was 25 in year 1991, is expected to rise to 45 by the year 2041 and half of the population will be over 45 years and vulnerable to osteoporosis. We describe 2 large epidemiological studies done in Sri Lanka. The first one, Galle Prospective Osteoporosis Survey, in its initial phase recruited 350 women randomly from the current voters registers. 42.4% of women in the entire sample and 61.5% in women over 50 years were found to have osteoporosis. The second study was to assess the prevalence of stiffness index with heel ultrasound and calcium intake in a suburban population close to Colombo. We randomised 1250 from electoral register numbers and 986 people consented to participate. Stiffness index start decreasing after the age of 50, which is the average age of age of menopause. In men stiffness decreases after age of 70.