Aging men may be under-prescribed bone-saving drugs

TORONTO - A new study suggests aging men and their doctors may not be paying enough attention to bone health.

The report from the Canadian Institutes for Health Information says older men in Canada are substantially less likely to be taking bisphosphonate drugs than are women.

Bisphosphonates are drugs used to counter the effects of osteoporosis and to prevent fractures.

While one in five senior women were using these medications in 2006-2007, only one out of every 30 senior men had been given a prescription for one of the drugs.

It is true that osteoporosis affects women more often than men; in fact, women are twice as likely to develop the bone-weakening disease.

But the report found the gap in prescribing rates between men and women is much bigger than the difference in disease incidence.

"This raises questions about whether men are being under-diagnosed and under-treated for the disorder, which could have serious consequences for seniors and their families," says Dr. Diane Theriault, medical director at the Dartmouth osteoporosis multidisciplinary education program in Nova Scotia.

It is estimated that osteoporosis affects up to one in every four women and one in every eight men over the age of 50 in Canada.

The report looked at six years' worth of drug claims from over a million seniors from six provinces: Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

From 2001 to 2007, the proportion of seniors using one of the three drugs studied rose in each of the provinces. Overall, use by seniors rose to 12.9 per cent by the end of the period from 8.9 per cent at the start.

The drugs studied were etidronate, alendronate and risedronate. Canadian guidelines state the first should be used to decrease vertebral fractures, while the latter two are recommended to decrease vertebral, hip and other fractures.

Use of the drugs was highest among women and seniors over age 75.