Osteoporosis management during the COVID-19 pandemic - Position paper

• Author(s): Rodrigues, Ana M ; Romeu, José Carlos ; Canas da Silva, José ; Tavares-Costa, José ; Faustino, Augusto ; Vaz, Carlos ; Pereira da Silva, José António ; Canhão, Helena
• Date: 2021
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/116013
• Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
• Document Type: Journal article
• Language: English
• Contributor(s): Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) - pólo NMS; Centro de Estudos de Doenças Crónicas (CEDOC); NOVA Medical School|Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (NMS|FCM); RUN

Description

ver

COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased the already large number of victims of osteoporosis in Portugal. Osteoporosis outpatient clinics were either closed or had limited presential appointments. Many hospitals reduced orthopaedic services to make space for patients with COVID-19. In addition, the volunteer or forced sedentarism, as imposed by the pandemic, increased the risk of falls and fractures drastically. It urges to intensify the current efforts to improve the management of bone health and to prioritize fragility fracture care and prevention. This paper addresses the challenges in osteoporosis management during the COVID-19 pandemic and provides guidance on osteoporosis management. This position paper is a joint initiative of several health professionals and patients dedicated to osteoporosis.