Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Nov;23(11):2591-600.
doi: 10.1007/s00198-012-1931-z. Epub 2012 Mar 8.

The burden of illness of osteoporosis in Canada

J-E Tarride  1 , R B Hopkins, W D Leslie, S Morin, J D Adachi, A Papaioannou, L Bessette, J P Brown, R Goeree
Affiliations

The burden of illness of osteoporosis in Canada

J-E Tarride et al. Osteoporos Int. 2012 Nov.

Abstract

To update the 1993 burden of illness of osteoporosis in Canada, administrative and community data were used to calculate the 2010 costs of osteoporosis at $2.3 billion in Canada or 1.3% of Canada's healthcare expenditures. Prevention of fractures in high-risk individuals is key to decrease the financial burden of osteoporosis.

Introduction: Since the 1996 publication of the burden of osteoporosis in 1993 in Canada, the population has aged and the management of osteoporosis has changed. The study purpose was to estimate the current burden of illness due to osteoporosis in Canadians aged 50 and over.

Methods: Analyses were conducted using five national administrative databases from the Canadian Institute for Health Information for the fiscal-year ending March 31 2008 (FY 2007/2008). Gaps in national data were supplemented by provincial and community data extrapolated to national levels. Osteoporosis-related fractures were identified using a combination of most responsible diagnosis at discharge and intervention codes. Fractures associated with severe trauma codes were excluded. Costs, expressed in 2010 dollars, were calculated for osteoporosis-related hospitalizations, emergency care, same day surgeries, rehabilitation, continuing care, homecare, long-term care, prescription drugs, physician visits, and productivity losses. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to measure the impact on the results of key assumptions.

Results: Osteoporosis-related fractures were responsible for 57,413 acute care admissions and 832,594 hospitalized days in FY 2007/2008. Acute care costs were estimated at $1.2 billion. When outpatient care, prescription drugs, and indirect costs were added, the overall yearly cost of osteoporosis was over $2.3 billion for the base case analysis and as much as $3.9 billion if a proportion of Canadians were assumed to be living in long-term care facilities due to osteoporosis.

Conclusions: Osteoporosis is a chronic disease that affects a large segment of the adult population and results in a substantial economic burden to the Canadian society.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Number of same day surgeries, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations by type of osteoporosis-related fracture in Canada in fiscal year 2007/2008 (independent of discharge destination)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Entrance and discharge institutions following hospitalization for osteoporosis-related fracture (N = 57,433)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Papaioannou A, Morin S, Cheung AM, Atkinson S, Brown JP, Feldman S, Hanley DA, Hodsman A, Jamal SA, Kaiser SM, et al. 2010 clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis in Canada: summary. CMAJ. 2010;182(17):1864–1873. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.100771. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brown JP, Josse RG. 2002 clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis in Canada. CMAJ. 2002;167(10 Suppl):S1–S34. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Statistics Canada (2010) Estimates of population, by age group and sex for July 1, Canada, provinces and territories, annual. Table 051–0001
    1. Goeree R, O'Brien B, Pettitt D, Cuddy L, Ferraz M, Adachi JD. An assessment of the burden of illness due to osteoporosis in Canada. J Soc Obstet Gynaecol Can. 1996;18(Suppl July):15–24.
    1. Statistics Canada (2011) Consumer Price Index (CPI) Statistics. Table 176–000

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances