Proclamation 5819 --
National Osteoporosis Prevention Week, 1988
By
the President of the
A
Proclamation
This
year we again set aside a week to mark our concern over osteoporosis. This
bone-weakening disease is the most common cause of bone fractures in the elderly
and is a major health problem that afflicts millions of Americans. Osteoporosis
can occur in men, but women are the majority of its victims. In fact, it
affects half of American women over age 45 and 90 percent of women over age 75.
A
fall, blow, or lifting action that would not injure the average person can
easily cause one or more bones to break in a person with severe osteoporosis.
Any bones may be affected, although fractures of the spine, wrists, and hips
are the most common. Osteoporosis is the underlying reason for 1.3 million bone
fractures a year, and its incidence will increase as
our population ages.
Fortunately,
scientific knowledge about this disease has grown, and there is reason for
hope. Research is revealing that prevention may be achieved through estrogen
replacement therapy for older women and through adequate calcium intake and
regular weight-bearing exercise for people of all ages. New approaches to
diagnosis and treatment are also under active investigation. For this work to continue
and for us to take advantage of the knowledge we have already gained, public awareness of osteoporosis and of the
importance of further scientific research is essential.
The
Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 250, has designated the week of May 8
through
Now,
Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the
In
Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the
Ronald
Reagan
[Filed with the Office
of the Federal Register,