Epidemiology and Economic Burden of Osteoporosis in Malta

This report describes epidemiology, burden, and treatment of osteoporosis in Malta. Introduction Osteoporosis is characterized by reduced bone mass and disruption of bone architecture, resulting in increased risks of fragility fractures which represent the main clinical consequence of the disease. Fragility fractures are associated with substantial pain and suffering, disability and even death for the affected patients and substantial costs to society. The aim of this study is to describe the epidemiology and economic burden of fragility fractures as a consequence of osteoporosis in Malta, as a further detailed addition to the report for the entire European Union (EU27): Osteoporosis in the European Union: Medical Management, Epidemiology and Economic Burden. Methods The literature on fracture incidence and costs of fractures in Malta was reviewed and incorporated into a model estimating the clinical and economic burden of osteoporotic fractures in 2010. Furthermore, data on sales of osteoporosis treatments and the population at high risk were used to estimate treatment uptake and treatment gap. Results It was estimated that approximately 2,600 new fragility fractures were sustained in Malta, comprising 450 hip fractures, 430 vertebral fractures, 470 forearm fractures and 1,300 other fractures (i.e. fractures of the pelvis, rib, humerus, tibia, fibula, clavicle, scapula, sternum and other femoral fractures) in 2010. The economic burden of incident and previous fragility fractures was estimated at (sic) 17 million for the same year. Incident fractures represented 65 % of this cost, long-term fracture care 24 % and pharmacological prevention 12 %. Previous and incident fractures also accounted for 800 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost during 2010. When accounting for the demographic projections for 2025, the number of incident fractures was estimated at 3,800 in 2025, representing an increase of 1,100 fractures. Hip, clinical vertebral (spine), forearm and other fractures were estimated to increase by 230, 190, 140 and 580, respectively. The burden of fractures in Malta in 2025 was estimated to increase by 39 % to (sic) 24 million. Conclusions There is a high cost of osteoporosis with a substantial projected increase of the economic burden driven by aging populations, suggesting that a change in healthcare policy concerning the disease is warranted.