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Women's
Health Statistics
Osteoporosis:
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Osteoporosis
is a major public health threat for more than 28 million Americans.
In the U.S. today, 10 million individuals already have the disease
and 18 million more have low bone mass, placing them at increased
risk for osteoporosis.
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80% of those affected by osteoporosis are women.
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8 million American women and 2 million men have
osteoporosis, and millions more have low bone density.
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It has been estimated that about 12 million,
or 41 percent, of white women over age 50 have low bone mass
(osteopenia) and 5 million, or 15 percent, have osteoporosis.
Prevalence of osteoporosis in Mexican-American women is similar
to white women, while rates in black women are approximately
half that of the other groups (8 percent).
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According to the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey (NHANES III), an estimated 14 million American
women over age 50 years have low bone density, and 5 million
more meet the WHO definition of osteoporosis. The prevalence
of osteoporosis in Mexican-American women is similar to that
in white women, while rates in black women are approximately
half that of the first two groups.
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The prevalence of osteoporosis increases with
age for all sites, and by the WHO definition up to 70 percent
of women over age 80 years have osteoporosis.
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Source:
Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women: Diagnosis and Monitoring.
Evidence Report/Technology Assessment Number 28. AHRQ Publication
No. 01-E032, November 2001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Rockville, MD.
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A report by the National Osteoporosis Foundation
states that the total number of people aged 50 and older estimated
to be at risk for osteoporosis and low bone mass is 44 million
in 2002. The estimated prevalence rate of osteoporosis and low
bone mass among men is 14 million. For women, the estimated
prevalence rate for osteoporosis and low bone mass is 30 million.
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One in two women and one in eight men over age
50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
An average of 24% of hip fracture patients age 50 and over die
in the year following their fracture.
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10% of African-American women over age 50 have
osteoporosis; an additional 30% have low bone density that puts
them at risk of developing osteoporosis.
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Significant risk has been reported in people
of all ethnic backgrounds.
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While osteoporosis is often thought of as an
older person's disease, it can strike at any age.
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Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5
million fractures annually, including: 300,000 hip fractures;
and approximately 700,000 vertebral fractures, 250,000 wrist
fractures, and 300,000 fractures at other sites.
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Osteoporosis accounts for 70 percent of all
the fractures occurring annually in people over age 45.
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Caucasian women 65 or older have twice the incidence
of fractures as African-American women.
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The annual costs associated with osteoporosis
are estimated at $14 billion, and it is a major cause of admission
to nursing homes.
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Women can lose up to 20% of their bone mass
in the 5-7 years following menopause, making them more susceptible
to osteoporosis.
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Urinary incontinence:
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More than 13 million people in the United States-male
and female, young and old-experience incontinence. It is often
temporary, and it always results from an underlying medical
condition.
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Women experience incontinence two times more
often than men do. Pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, and
the structure of the female urinary tract account for this difference.
But both women and men can become incontinent from strokes,
multiple sclerosis, and physical problems associated with old
age.
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Although half of all elderly people experience
episodes of incontinence, it is not exclusively a problem among
the elderly. In fact, 1 in 4 women ages 30 to 59 experiences
urinary incontinence.
Obesity:
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About half of American women are overweight
or obese, according to the Surgeon General's Call to Action
to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, 2001.
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According to the Surgeon General of the United
States, overweight and obesity are increasing in both men and
women. The latest estimates are that 34 percent of U.S. adults
aged 20 to 74 years are overweight, and an additional 27 percent
are obese. About half of all women aged 20 to 74 are overweight
or obese. The percentages of obese women among African American,
Native American and Mexican American women are even higher.
Source:
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight
and Obesity, 2001:
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Arthritis:
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Arthritis and related conditions affect nearly
43 million Americans, or about one of every six people, making
it one of the most prevalent diseases in the United States.
By 2020, as the baby boom generation ages, an estimated 60 million
Americans will be affected by arthritis.
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Arthritis is the most common and disabling condition
reported by women. Women aged 15 years and older account for
60% of arthritis cases. At least 26.4 million women have arthritis,
the leading chronic condition among women, and by the year 2020,
an estimated 36 million women will be affected. Arthritis limits
their daily activities, with higher rates among African American
(6.5 percent) and Native American (6.9 percent) women than among
white women (4.2 percent).
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Half of all people affected by arthritis are
under the age of 65, but by age 65, about 80 percent of all
women report some problem with arthritis.
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Arthritis is the leading cause of disability
in the United States and although cost-effective interventions
are available to reduce the burden of arthritis, they are currently
underused. Besides the physical toll, arthritis costs the country
nearly $65 billion annually.
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Rates of arthritis are higher among women, older
persons, rural populations, and those with low education or
low income
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