DRG Category: 553

Mean LOS: 5.7 days

Description MEDICAL: Bone Disease and Arthropathies with Major CC

classification section:



Osteoporosis is an age-related metabolic disease defined as low bone mass with a normal ratio of mineral to osteoid, the organic matrix of bone. Approximately 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and another 14 million have low bone mass, or osteopenia. With the aging of the U.S. population, osteoporosis is expected to increase and hip fractures are expected to rise to 750,000 per year by the year 2050. Bone demineralization results in decreased density and subsequent fractures as bone resorption occurs faster than bone formation. The general reduction in skeletal bone mass occurs as bones lose calcium and phosphate, become brittle and porous, and develop an increased susceptibility to fractures. Common sites for fractures are the wrist, hip, and vertebral column.

Osteoporosis can be classified as primary or secondary. Primary osteoporosis is more common and is not associated with an underlying medical condition. Secondary osteoporosis results from an associated underlying condition, such as hyperparathyroidism, or an iatrogenic cause, such as long-term corticosteroid or heparin administration.