Management and treatment of osteoporosis in patients receiving long-term glucocorticoid treatment: current status of adherence to clinical guidelines and related factors.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the adherence of guidelines for the management and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, and to investigate whether it is associated with factors such as age, gender, glucocorticoid dose, physician specialty, and size of facility.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study utilizing administrative data from a database of health insurance claims (2004-2007); 2,368 patients who received glucocorticoid treatment for ≥90 days were extracted. The guideline adherence was determined by evaluations based on glucocorticoid prescription dose, prescription of anti-osteoporosis drugs, and whether or not bone mineral density was measured.