conclusion on osteoporosis?

Answer 1

Osteoporosis (or porous bone) is a disease in which bones become less dense, resulting in weak bones that are more likely to break. Without prevention or treatment, osteoporosis can progress without pain or symptoms until a bone breaks (fractures). Fractures associated with osteoporosis can take a long time to heal and can cause permanent disability and even death.

Osteoporosis is a devastating disorder with significant physical, psychosocial and financial consequences. Quality of life can be significantly impaired by osteoporosis and its resultant fractures. Further studies are needed to determine screening guidelines for asymptomatic patients. Increasing public awareness and instituting preventative measures throughout life should decrease the incidence of people affected by osteoporosis. Emphasis on life-style modification is another way to decrease the risks of osteoporosis. Since most research and treatment regimens have focused on postmenopausal women, additional studies on men have been recommended to determine the physiology of the disorder and the most efficient treatment protocols for men. Physical therapists can contribute to research by conducting studies on efficacy of exercise and balance programs in decreasing the risks of falls and fractures, and in validating assessment tools used to identify patients at risk for falling. A concerted effort by the medical community to address osteoporosis can help reduce the impact osteoporosis has on society.

Answer 2

Conclusions

Despite many encouraging clinical trials which show that osteoporosis is a detectable and preventable disease, the benefits are still not as widely available to those at risk as they should be. In 1994, Britain had fewer DXA bone scanners per million of the population than many other countries, including Cyprus, Greece, Israel and Malta. Yet the scientific evidence suggests that osteoporosis should receive a higher national profile and attract greater resources, with the potential for significant reduction in human suffering and considerable long-term savings to the National Health Service. But every effort must also be made to raise awareness that the prevention of osteoporosis is the responsibility of every one of us. In particular, parents can do much by encouraging their children to develop the right attitudes towards diet and exercise, thereby giving them a skeletal structure that will last a lifetime.

It is a real cause for optimism that the Government has at last woken up to the problem of osteoporosis. In 1993, Health Minister Baroness Cumberlege established an Advisory Group on osteoporosis with the following broad task:

�...To establish what information about osteoporosis is available, what research is being conducted and what further work needs to be done, and to report to Ministers�.

In January 1995, she endorsed its main findings, which included the establishment of local bone scanning facilities for at-risk women, the preparation of prevention and treatment guidelines and consideration of the role of diet (with particular reference to calcium and vitamin D).

We know who is most at risk of developing osteoporosis; we have the knowledge to identify them; and we now have a range of preventive medicines, with others just around the corner. All that is needed is the political will and osteoporosis could be largely eradicated as a significant health threat.

Answer 3

More studies here. http://tlm.torchlightmed.com/?s=osteoporosis