On the occasion of World Osteoporosis Day (WOD) on Oct. 20, Medtronic launched an awareness campaign about the risks of osteoporosis on affected people's health and quality of life, as well as on best ways to prevent such a serious disease from occurring and spreading.

Dr. Walid Awwad of King Khaled University warned against underestimating risks and health hazards of osteoporosis and said: "The majority of fragility fracture patients are neither assessed nor treated by their health care system, hence there is a failure to ‘Capture the fracture’ and reduce the associated risks. Additionally, without treatment, the risk of suffering new fractures is high. The prevalence of osteoporosis among post-menopausal women over the age of 50 in Saudi Arabia is estimated at 39.5 percent, while it is estimated at 37.8 percent of Saudi men over the age of 50."

Joe Akel, business director, MEA Spinal & Biologics, stated: “Awareness and prevention can help millions of people lead a quality life without the fear of brittle bones, disability, pain and premature death due to osteoporotic fractures. Hence, Medtronic awareness campaign focused on the fact that like any lifestyle-related disease, Osteoporosis is largely about the choices we make — on what we eat and drink, and what we do."

Medtronic’s campaign recommended and promoted a few easy steps to help prevent osteoporosis: Eat a healthy, balanced diet; exercise regularly; and undergo periodic bone health check-up.

Spinal fractures are the most common type of osteoporotic fractures and can cause extreme pain, long or short-term disability and Dowager's hump.