Research for healthier bones
In Australia, one in two women and one in three men over the age of 60 will sustain a bone fracture. It is also estimated that the death rate in women from hip fractures is greater than the incidence of all female cancers combined. Osteoporosis, or ‘porous bones’, is a disease where bone density and structural quality deteriorate, leading to an increased risk of fracture. Common sites are the wrist, hip, spine, pelvis and upper arm.
In 2002, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) was awarded more than $9.5 million in grants to 106 projects related to osteoporosis, bone and joint related research.
NHMRC Chief Executive Officer, Professor Alan Pettigrew, said that the NHMRC was committed to supporting research that increased the understanding, and ultimately, the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis and related osteoporotic conditions.
“National Healthy Bones Week (August 4-10) is a great opportunity to raise awareness of osteoporosis. It’s also a time to highlight the valuable research being conducted in Australia in this area.”
“The NHMRC is funding a range of projects and providing financial support to researchers with projects related to osteoporosis and bone and joint related research that should ultimately benefit the Australian community,” Professor Pettigrew said.
One NHMRC funded researcher is looking at fracture risk epidemiology in the elderly. Professor Philip Sambrook, Professor of Rheumatology, University of Sydney, says his research is significant because an increasing proportion of Australia’s population is living to a much older age. “The impact of osteoporosis in this group represents an increasing public health problem. The research is designed to identify predictors of falls and fractures in the elderly as well as the effect of fractures on quality of life,” he said.
Judy Stenmark, CEO of Osteoporosis Australia congratulated the NHMRC on its ongoing commitment to funding research in this area. “Osteoporosis has the potential to affect the lives of so many people in Australia. We welcome the NHMRC’s ongoing commitment in this area of investigation. Only with research, will we discover a cure or new treatment and we remain optimistic that with funding support from all quarters, a solution may one day be found for this debilitating condition,” she said.
