Saudi Osteoporosis Soceity

The Saudi Osteoporosis Society signs collaboration agreement with Princess Nora Bint Abdullah Women’s health Research Chair

siteadmin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:22:51 +0000

The Saudi Osteoporosis Society and Princess Nora Bint Abdullah Women’s Health Research Chair signed collaboration agreement that covers various aspects related to bone health. The agreement covers areas like education, research, sharing of knowledge and expertise amongst many others. The agreement was signed by Dr Ali Bin Saed AL Ghamdi, Deputy director of King Saud University for higher studies and scientific research, representing the chair, and Prof. Riad Sulimani, the President of The Saudi Osteoporosis Society.
Many newspapers announced this step that aims for better use of resources and collaboration for improving bone health among the citizens of Saudi Arabia. More details (in arabic) are available on the link below.

First International Osteoporosis Conference

siteadmin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:56:36 +0000

The Saudi Osteoporosis Society (SOS) is announcing it’s first international meeting to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is the first time ever that such international conference on osteoporosis is being conducted in the kingdom. The conference is accredited by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties for 24 CME hours. The meeting will be held in the period from the 6th to the 8th of March 2012. All health care professionals are invited to attend. Society members will be registered at special discounted rate. More information on the conference are shown on the second call for abstract in this page.

SOS Conducted its First Meeting In Dubai

siteadmin — Mon, 30 May 2011 07:01:54 +0000

The Saudi Osteoporosis Society successfully conducted its first national
osteoporosis workshop in Dubai. This is the first national meeting held
outside the kingdom. The beautiful city of Dubai hosted the conference.
Audience were mainly Orthopedic Surgeons from all over the kingdom. These
are the health care professionals who see the devastating consequences of
Osteoporosis: Fractures. It was therefore necessary to have open
discussion with them. 45 health care attended the meeting which was
sponsored by servier.
Numerous ideas came up and open forum discussion was extremely satisfying
to the wole group. It is the plan of the society to continue to commun

About the International Osteoporosis Foundation

siteadmin — Sun, 15 May 2011 18:24:47 +0000

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS FOUNDATION

IOF is the largest global non-governmental organization dedicated to the
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.

ABOUT OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone is
reduced, increasing the risk of fracture. It affects around one in three
women and one in five men around the world.

SOS signed agreement with Prince Miteb Chair for Osteoporosis At K.S.U

siteadmin — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:22:05 +0000

The Saudi Osteoporosis Society signed agreement with Prince Miteb Bin Abullah Bin Abdulazeez Chair For Biomarkers In Osteoporosis Research at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The agreement covers various aspects of collaboration like sharing symposia, workshops, seminars, various research projects, public and professional education and many others. Shown is the link to the details of the agreement which appeared in many national newspapers. The society always welcomes such scientific co-operation with various organizations working in the field of osteoporosis in saudi arabia.

http://news.ksu.edu.sa/news/62797

تم نشر الخبر اليوم بجريدتي الوطن والاقتصادية

رابط الخبر بجريدة الاقتصادية :-

http://www.aleqt.com/2011/01/21/article_494349.html

رابط الخبر بجريدة الوطن :-

http://www.alwatan.com.sa/Local/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=38340&CategoryID=5

SOS Osteoporosis Workshop – Jeddah

siteadmin — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 10:02:34 +0000

SOS PARTICIPATED IN OSTEOPOROSIS WORKSHOP IN COLLABORATION WITH KING ABDULAZEEZ MEDICAL CITY, JEDDAH:

The Saudi Osteoporosis Society participated in the annual workshop organized by King Abdulazeez Medical City In Jeddah in the west cost of Saudi Arabia. The event, successfully took place on the 8th of December 2010 at the crown plaza hotel and was attended by good number of attendees specially from the ladies side. The event started at 8:30 AM and covered wide range of topics in osteoporosis including the epidemiology, pathophysiology, assessment and use of FRAX tool, recent update on Vitamin D, Perimenopausal Osteoporosis, Steroids Induced Osteoporosis, Primary Prevention and Treatment. This is one of successful collaborations between The Society and health sectors in Saudi Arabia to promote knowledge and awareness among health care professionals on osteoporosis and its consequences. The society always welcome these kind of collaborations and sharing of knowledge and experience.

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AACE MEMBER ALERT – AACE Response to IOM Report on Calcium and Vitamin D

admin — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:59:04 +0000

The long awaited Institute of Medicine report on “Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D” was released November 30th and is available at http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Calcium-and-Vitamin-D.aspx. Key features of the report and implications for clinical practice include:

1. Vitamin D levels: IOM report: A 25-OH vitamin D level of about 20 ng/ml is adequate for bone health. It is not clear if higher levels are of benefit for other medical conditions, since most present studies are based on associations and do not prove causality. A level above 50 ng/ml has the potential for adverse health effects. Based on this report, a 25-OH vitamin D level of between 20 to 50 ng/ml is safe and effective for bone health.

AACE recommendation:Since many physicians have used 30 ng/ml as minimum level based on potential non-bone benefits, it would be appropriate to use a range from 30-50 for most patients as an optimal and safe range.

2. Vitamin D supplementation in the general population: IOM report: Established a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D of 600 IU daily between the ages of 9 and 70 and 800 IU for people over age 70. The Tolerable Upper Intake Limit (EL) was set at no more than 4000 IU daily.

AACE recommendations: For many patients, 1000-2000 IU of vitamin D daily is required to maintain a 25-OH vitamin D level at 30 ng/ml or above. Since this recommendation is well within the EL of 4000 IU daily, the common use of vitamin D in the 1000-2000 IU daily dosing range would be reasonable. Certain patients may have vitamin D requirements that are significantly higher based on underlying medical conditions (malabsorption, bariatric surgery etc.) and dosing should be determined based on 25-OH vitamin D measurements.

3. Calcium recommendations: IOM report: The RDA for ages 9-13 was set at 1300 mg daily with an upper limit (EL) of 3000 mg for boys and girls. For women between 19 and 50, the RDA was set at 1000 mg daily with an EL of 2500 mg and for women over 50, the RDA was set at 1200 mg with an EL of 2000 mg. No adjustments to the above were recommended in pregnancy. For men between 19 and 70 year old, the RDA was set at 1000 mg with an EL of 2500 up to age 50 and EL of 2000 above age 50 with an RDA of 1200 mg for men over age 70. The risk of kidney stones increases with higher doses of calcium.

AACE recommendations: The IOM report recommendations are reasonable based on existing data. The measurement of a 24 hour urine calcium should be strongly considered to determine the calcium balance in any given patient if this will make a difference in patient management.

The IOM report will hopefully lead to robust research studies designed to address the important questions of the role of vitamin D in medical conditions other than bone health.

For now, it is important to use the recommendations in conjunction with clinical judgment to determine the proper calcium and vitamin D requirements for any given patient.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned patients and healthcare providers about the possible risk of atypical (subtrochanteric and diaphyseal) femoral fracture in patients who take bisphosphonates to prevent or treat osteoporosis.

admin — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:04:55 +0000

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned patients and healthcare providers about the possible risk of atypical (subtrochanteric and diaphyseal) femoral fracture in patients who take bisphosphonates to prevent or treat osteoporosis.

Information about the risk of atypical fractures will be added to the Warnings and Precautions section of the labels for alendronate (Fosamax, Fosamax Plus D), risedronate (Actonel, Actonel with Calcium, and Atelvia), ibandronate (Boniva), and zoledronic acid (Reclast). A Medication Guide also will be required to be given to patients when they pick up their bisphosphonate prescription.

Although it is not clear if bisphosphonates are the cause, these unusual femur fractures have been predominantly reported in patients taking bisphosphonates. The optimal duration of bisphosphonate use for osteoporosis is unknown, and the FDA is highlighting this uncertainty because these fractures may be related to use of bisphosphonates for longer than 5 years.

“The FDA is continuing to evaluate data about the safety and effectiveness of bisphosphonates when used long-term for osteoporosis treatment,”
This warning follows a March 10, 2010, Drug Safety Communication announcing the FDA’s ongoing safety review of bisphosphonate use and the occurrence of atypical femur fractures. The FDA has since reviewed all available data on bisphosphonate use, including data summarised in the American Society for Bone Mineral Research Task Force report. The report recommended additional product labelling, better identification and tracking of patients experiencing these breaks, and more research to determine whether and how these drugs cause the serious but uncommon fractures.

Labelling changes and the Medication Guide will not apply to bisphosphonates used for Paget’s disease or cancer/hypercalcaemia, such as etidronate (Didronel), zoledronic acid (Zometa), tiludronate (Skelid), and their generic products.

The FDA recommends that healthcare professionals be aware of the possible risk in patients taking bisphosphonates and consider periodic re-evaluation of the need for continued bisphosphonate therapy for patients who have been on bisphosphonates for longer than 5 years. The agency also recommends that healthcare professionals discontinue potent antiresorptive medications (including bisphosphonates) in patients who have evidence of a femoral shaft fracture.

Bisphosphonates and risk of oesophageal cancer

admin — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:00:28 +0000

People who take oral bisphosphonates for bone disease over five years may be doubling their risk of developing esophageal cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of Oxford’s Cancer Epidemiology Unit and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency analyzed data from the UK General Practice Research Database, which has patient records for six million people registered with a National Health Service general practitioner. They reported results online in BMJ (http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c4444) . Published September 2, 2010.
Researchers reviewed data on men and women more than 40 years old, uncovering 2,954 with esophageal cancer, 2,018 with stomach cancer and 10,641 with colorectal cancer diagnosed between 1995 and 2005. Each case was compared with five controls matched for age, sex, general practice and observation period.
Esophageal cancer increased in people with one or more previous prescriptions for oral bisphosphonates compared with those with no such prescriptions (relative risk [RR], 1.30; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.66; P=0.02). Risk nearly doubled for people with 10 or more prescriptions than for those with one to nine prescriptions (RR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.37 to 2.70). Risk more than doubled for those who used bisphosphonates for more than three years (average five) compared to no prescription (RR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.47 to 3.43).
Stomach and colorectal cancers were not associated with prescription of bisphosphonate compared with no prescription (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.19 and RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.77 to 1.00, respectively).
Risk did not differ significantly by bisphosphonate type, and risk in those with 10 or more bisphosphonate prescriptions did not vary by age, sex, smoking, alcohol intake, or body mass index; by diagnosis of osteoporosis, fracture, or upper gastrointestinal disease; or by prescription of acid suppressants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or corticosteroids.
Typically, esophageal cancer develops in one per 1,000 people (0.5 per 1,000 in women and 1.5 per 1,000 in men) at age 60 to 79 over five years. According to incidence data published by the World Health Organization, researchers estimate that with five years’ use of oral bisphosphonates, this would double to two cases (in women one case and in men three cases per 1,000).
Saudi Osteoporosis Society Comments:
“The possibility of adverse effects on the esophagus should prompt doctors who prescribe these drugs to consider risks versus benefits.” It also suggests doctors “tell patients to report difficulty in swallowing and throat, chest, or digestive discomfort so that they can be promptly evaluated and possibly advised to discontinue the drug.”

Calcium supplements and heart disease

siteadmin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:23:27 +0000

In a meta-analysis published in the British Medical Journal on 29th July ,2010 which included 11 randomized , double blind trials and 12,000 participants, the investigators reported that calcium supplements ( without co administered vitamin D ) are associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction. The authors recommended that reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in the management of osteoporosis is warranted.

Saudi Osteoporosis SOCIETY comment :

This is an important study since most osteoporotic patients as well as normal post menopausal subjects are on calcium supplements. It is to be noted however that the studies included were those in which vitamin D was not co administered . Vitamin D is known to have possible favorable effects on the heart so it is difficult to predict from this meta-analysis the effects of the combination ( which most patients are advised to take ). Overall the society would like to stress on the following points:

1- The metanalysis showed increased risk of M.I. but failed to show increase in mortality which is unexplainable.

2- The studies included in the metanalysis were of short durations (median follow up of 3.6 years). This is very short period to have possible harmful effects of Calcium like coronary calcifications

3- These metanalysis were done in populations with calcium sufficiency which is different from our population in Saudi Arabia. Finding might not apply to this part of the world with large percentage of the population having Vitamin D deficiency and are not taking proper dietary calcium.

4- Most of our patients are on both Calcium and Vitamin D supplements for the above reason. The study showed excess M.I. risk in patients who are calcium sufficient taking only calcium supplements without Vitamin D. There is some evidence for protective cardiovascular effects for Vitamin D in some studies.

The Saudi Osteoporosis Society advice our patients not to stop their calcium and Vitamin D intake tell further evidence becomes available.

The Saudi Osteoporosis Society will carefully monitor and follow on any future studies or reports on this issue for its members.

Source

Bolland M J , Avenell A , grey A , Maclennan aG ,Reid I . Effect of calcium supplemnts on risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular events : meta-analysis . B M J 2010; 341:

: C3691

Yousef AL Saleh, MD