Osteoporosis Rates Fall Dramatically at Irish Hospitals
Osteoporosis rates at Irish healthcare sites dropped significantly between 1998 and 2024, according to a study published in the Archives of Osteoporosis in August. Researchers examined more than 66,000 people having their first bone density scan at University Hospital Limerick and St Camillus Hospital, revealing that skeletal health at initial clinical assessment has improved substantially over the 26-year period.
Decline in Hip and Spine Bone Loss
Data from the regional bone density registry revealed a drop in hip osteoporosis from 19.4 per cent in 1998 down to 7.4 per cent in 2024. Over the exact same period, the proportion affected at the lumbar spine dropped from 30.2 per cent to 8.4 per cent. Approximately 81 per cent of the individuals included in the analysis were women. Researchers accounted for differences in patient age and sex, as well as shifts in the total number of scans carried out, and the downward trend remained consistent.
Implications for Future Healthcare Planning
The study indicates that the future global burden of fractures may be lower than previous projections suggested. According to the findings, rising global fracture counts largely reflect population aging and growth rather than worsening age-specific skeletal risk. International analyses confirm that while absolute fracture numbers have risen, age-standardized rates in many high-income settings have stabilized or fallen.
Dr Azrin Muslim, Research Directorate, St Camillus Hospital, served as the lead author of the study, while Prof Declan Lyons, Director of Research, HSE Mid-West, acted as co-author. Prof Lyons told the Medical Independent that the findings carry international significance.
The assumption has been that if people navigate the midlife risks of cardiac disease and cancer, they would then face a basket of age-associated diseases in later life, with osteoporosis and fracture risk among the greatest,
Prof Lyons said. This data suggests that basket of risks isn’t going to contain the same collection of diseases we might have thought and that has big implications not just for us in the Mid-West, but nationally and internationally.
Study Limitations and Next Steps
Several limitations accompanied the research. The cohort comprised individuals referred for clinical assessment rather than a screening population, which restricts broad inferences about community prevalence. Furthermore, the study did not examine direct fracture outcomes, though the authors noted that linkage to fracture and hospitalisation datasets is currently underway. Scenario-modelling estimates remain illustrative and non-causal until formal linkage to fracture outcomes is completed.
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