About 20 percent of patients who were hospitalized with bone fractures last year had osteoporotic hip fractures, the Taiwanese Osteoporosis Association said, advising people to ensure sufficient calcium intake and to exercise regularly to prevent osteoporosis.
Ministry of the Interior data show that people aged 65 and older made up 13.6 percent of the total population as of August and that the country is transitioning from an aged population toward a super-aged population, more than 20 percent of which is 65 or older, the association said.
As osteoporosis is most common in people older than 50 and the elderly population is growing rapidly, the association on Oct. 15 marked its 20th anniversary with an international conference in Taipei to discuss osteoporosis prevention and improvements to treatment.
National Health Insurance Administration Director-General Lee Po-chang (李伯璋) was invited to give a speech about osteoporosis care under the National Health Insurance (NHI) and Long-term Care Services Program 2.0.
Lee said NHI expenditure on orthopedic treatment has increased by 42 percent in the past 10 years and more than 1.39 million elderly people have sought orthopedic treatment, showing that enhancing osteoporosis prevention and treatment are important and urgent.
Taiwanese Osteoporosis Association chairman Wu Chih-hsing (吳至行), a physician at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, said the incidence rate of hip fracture in Taiwan is the ninth highest in the world and the highest in Asia, and NHI statistics showed that about 20 percent of hospitalizations for bone fractures last year were due to osteoporotic hip fracture.
The yearly mortality rate of osteoporotic hip fracture is about 20 percent, he said, adding that nearly 80 percent of patients will need medical equipment, caretakers or other assistance after they develop osteoporotic hip fractures, so the direct and indirect cost of osteoporosis is enormous: an estimated NT$7 billion (US$231 million) per year.
Wu said three obstacles to osteoporosis prevention are lack of awareness — as about 80 percent of patients first discover their bone density problems after experiencing symptoms; discontinuation of treatment — as about half of all patients discontinue treatment after three months and about 70 percent sustain bone fractures again; and lack of a comprehensive long-term care system to follow up on patients.
He advised people to ensure that they have sufficient intake of calcium, Vitamin D, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc, get sufficient sun exposure and exercise regularly to prevent osteoporosis.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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