The International Osteoporosis Foundation: history, objectives and achievements

Abstract

The IOF traces its roots to its predecessor organisations, the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (EFFO), created in 1987, and the International Federation of Societies on Skeletal Diseases (IFSSD), established in 1995. Recognising the need for a single global organisation that pooled together scientists, doctors, the patient society movement and corporate partners, the governing bodies of EFFO and IFSSD agreed to merge to form IOF. The new Foundation was launched in September 1998 under the leadership of the then EFFO President, Professor Pierre D. Delmas. The Board of the new foundation was expanded in 1999 to reflect its global mandate, with the addition of seven non-European Board members. The IOF has pioneered several major developments in the field of osteoporosis. It has been involved in the series of World Health Organisation technical reports to address the disorder. These were initiated in 1994 by the report on “Assessment of fracture risk and its application to screening for postmenopausal osteoporosis” within which the first globally applicable densitrometric definition of osteoporosis was officially endorsed. This was followed in 1998 by a report on “Guidelines for pre-clinical evaluation and clinical trials in osteoporosis” and most recently in 2008 by the report on “Assessment of osteoporosis at the primary health care level” which moved towards therapeutic targeting on the basis of absolute fracture risk (derived from clinical risk factors and bone mineral measurement). The IOF has also pioneered several major international studies of osteoporosis worldwide. These include the Mediterranean Osteoporosis Study (MEDOS: 1986), the European Vertebral Osteoporosis Study (EVOS; 1989), and the European Study of Quality of Life in Osteoporosis (QUALEFFO; 1993). The Foundation has established world congresses on osteoporosis that were held in Amsterdam, 1996; Berlin 1998; Chicago 2000; Lisbon 2002; Rio de Janeiro 2004; and Toronto 2006. These have attracted thousands of delegates worldwide and provide a platform for presentation of the cutting edge research into the epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk assessment and treatment of osteoporosis. Scientific meetings have also been Osteoporos Int (2009) 20 (Suppl 3):S241–S242 DOI 10.1007/s00198-008-0700-5