Middle East and North Africa
In the Middle East the burden of osteoporosis is expected to increase due to the steady growth of the ageing population as life expectancy continues to rise. In Iran alone, according to the Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), two million people are at risk of fracture, establishing osteoporosis as one of the main health problems in that country. In addition, in the Middle East and North Africa, as in the rest of the world, osteoporosis represents a heavy financial burden as healthcare costs increase.
IOF works closely with its members in the Middle East and North Africa in order to ensure that osteoporosis awareness becomes a priority.
In October 2011, IOF held the 1st Middle East & Africa Osteoporosis Meeting, an event which attracted close to 1000 participants and osteoporosis experts from throughout the region. Aside from being an important event in which regional research was presented, the Meeting was the venue for the launch of a 
landmark report, the '1st Middle East & Africa Regional Audit..
The report, which included information from 17 countries, showed the burden of osteoporotic fractures in the region and projected a dramatic increase in fractures in the coming decades. The report exposed the lack of reliable data and the urgent need for more research, more public prevention strategies and better health professional education in most countries.
Click here to download report. View press release.
Visit IOF Middle East and North Africa subsite (IOF MENA)
Guidelines
Below is a listing of the evidence-based guidelines from the Middle East and North Africa, which have been submitted for posting on the IOF website. Please note that this list will be updated periodically. If you are a national society and your country/region has evidence-based guidelines that you would like to include on the IOF website, please contact Prof. J. E. Compston at jec1001@cam.ac.uk
IOF does not officially endorse national or regional guidelines. This is because osteoporosis prevalence and some aspects of the prevention and treatment of fractures are country or region-specific. There may be multiple guidelines from any one country or region.
| Country/Region | Title of guidelines | Date | AGREE Appraised |
| Middle East and North Africa | Middle East and North Africa Consensus on Osteoporosis (ref 21) | 2007 | Yes |
| Iran | Physician Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis (ref 43) | 2008 | No |
| Lebanon |
Lebanese guidelines on osteoporosis assessment and treatment (ref 9) Guidelines for fragility fracture in Lebanon |
2004 and 2007 update 2010 |
Yes |
| Saudi Arabia | Guidelines for prevention and management of osteoporosis in adults | 2003 | No |
| South Africa | South African Clinical Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Osteoporosis: 2010 (ref 48) | 2010 | No |
See listing of national and regional guidelines around the world, including references and links to full text.
