National Health Insurance coverage of drugs to counter osteoporosis as of March 1 was expanded to include people diagnosed as high-risk from the disease, even if they have not had a fracture, benefiting an estimated 130,000 people a year, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) said yesterday.
Coverage was expanded to include people with rheumatoid arthritis — as the steroids used to treat the condition can lead to loss of bone density — and others on long-term steroid prescriptions, those with diabetes who use insulin and those who have fractured a distal radius or proximal humerus, the agency said.
One in seven people aged 65 or older have osteoporosis, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said, adding that Taiwan is on its way to becoming a super-aged society, with 19 percent of the population in the age group.
Photo: CNA
A “super-aged society” is defined as having more than 20 percent of the population aged 65 or older.
Based on recommendations from medical societies and discussions with experts, a consensus was reached to expand coverage for osteoporosis medication, allocating an additional NT$865 million (US$28.55 million), Shih said.
Taiwanese Osteoporosis Association chair Chen Chung-huan (陳崇桓) said that an estimated 1.5 million Taiwanese aged 65 or older have osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis has no obvious symptoms in its early stages, which is why it is often called “the invisible killer,” Chen said.
Women often experience accelerated bone loss during menopause, making them a high-risk group, he said.
After their first osteoporotic fracture, 45 percent of elderly people have another fracture within one year, he said.
The three major signs of osteoporosis are a hunched back with a gap of over 3cm between the back of the head and a wall when standing against it, height loss of more than 4cm and osteoporotic fractures, he added.
Taiwan College of Rheumatology secretary-general Lu Chun-chi (盧俊吉) said that nearly 40 percent of people with rheumatoid arthritis also have osteoporosis.
The longer people use steroids and the higher the dosage, the higher the risk of fracture, Lu said.
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