
A tiny probe can test the strength of a patient’s bones and could reveal early signs of osteoporosis.
A handheld device for diagnosing the early signs of osteoporosis could be available for clinical use within five years.
The technology is currently being refined and tested at the University of Southampton with support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The original concept was invented at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Unlike existing methods of assessing bone fragility, which measure bone density using X-rays, the device is designed to measure the ability of bone tissue to prevent small cracks growing into full-blown fractures.
It does this by pressing a microscopic needle a tiny distance into the top layer of bone. Measured electronically, the amount of penetration indicates how fragile the bone tissue is and therefore the risk of experiencing an osteoporotic fracture later in life.
Osteoporosis is often referred to as fragile bone disease. However, for many sufferers, the first indication that they have the condition is when they actually sustain a fracture.
Drugs can slow or arrest the development of the disease, but the condition may already be quite advanced by the time the first break has happened. Doctors can estimate an individual’s risk of fracturing by using bone-density measurements and other factors such as age, gender, smoking and any history of fracturing. But the new microindentation technology affordably delivers a fundamentally different measurement that has huge potential to refine such an evaluation.
A normal reading might see the needle sink into the bone by around 20 micrometres (0.02 mm); a reading of 40 micrometres might indicate a significant risk of fracture.
“As the population ages and life expectancy rises in the decades ahead, the cost of treating osteoporotic fractures will increase,” says Professor Philipp Thurner of the University of Southampton, who is leading the project. “One in three women aged over 50 is forecast to experience an osteoporotic fracture in her lifetime and, globally, treatment costs are forecast to reach over US$130 billion by 2050. The potential improvement in assessing osteoporosis and future fracture risk offered by this new technology could reduce the burden of broken bones for individuals, healthcare systems and the economy.
The Latest Bing News on:
Osteoporosis
- Arab Health 2023: AI To Aid Tackle 30 Diseases In Dubai By 2025on January 30, 2023 at 12:18 pm
That was the assurance given by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) at the ongoing Arab Health 2023. In 2023, this would include focus on diseases like Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ...
- In the Netherlands, some 400,000 women at high risk of fracture remain untreated for osteoporosison January 30, 2023 at 11:26 am
An estimated 100,000 to 120,000 fragility fractures occur annually in the Netherlands, the equivalent of at least 11 broken bones per hour. The cause is osteoporosis, a disease in which the skeleton ...
- New discovery leads the way to reverse osteoporosis — with a pillon January 28, 2023 at 5:55 am
The discovery, recently published in Communications Biology, is the first step toward cheaper, effective, easy-to-take treatments for osteoporosis and other diseases associated with bone loss. “Our ...
- Osteoporosis more prevalent in women but can also affect menon January 27, 2023 at 9:29 am
Worldwide, 1 in 3 women over age 50 will experience a bone fracture due to osteoporosis, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation. But 1 in 5 men over age 50 will have the same issue.
- Osteoporosis diet: Top vegan sources of calcium to maintain strong boneson January 26, 2023 at 8:56 am
Osteoporosis can make your bones weak and fragile so much so that even a mild fall is enough to fracture a bone or two. Osteoporosis-related fractures most commonly occur in the hip, wrist or spine.
- Is osteoporosis troubling you? Here's what to eat for strong boneson January 26, 2023 at 1:24 am
Osteoporosis causes the bones to become weak. Your bones lose calcium over time if your diet does not have enough of it. These foods can help you up your calcium intake.
- Osteoporosis Drugs Market 2023 Focuses on Factors that Augment the Industries Growth to 2027on January 25, 2023 at 12:43 am
Osteoporosis Drugs Market Overview 2023| Complete report [90 Pages] aims to deliver a top to bottom analysis of the ...
- Researchers pinpoint new method to help bone-producing cells make more boneon January 23, 2023 at 12:55 pm
A team of Florida International University (FIU) drug development scientists has found a possible new way to counteract the effects of the disease that turns bones into honeycomb-like structures—so ...
- How Does Resistance Training Prevent Osteoporosis?on January 21, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Weightlifting makes your bones stronger and denser, reducing your risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is a condition in which your bones become weak and brittle. This increases your risk of fractures ...
- What to Know About Raloxifene (Evista) for Osteoporosison January 20, 2023 at 3:31 pm
Evista may reduce your risk of vertebral fractures from osteoporosis but not other types of fractures. It’s not a first-line treatment for osteoporosis, but a doctor can determine whether the ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Osteoporosis
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Osteoporosis” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
The Latest Bing News on:
Diagnosing the early signs of osteoporosis
- Important diagnosis for women over 30; Mammogram, Thyroid and otherson January 25, 2023 at 4:39 am
As women, the anatomical setup of our bodies can leave us susceptible to certain health conditions. To keep such ailments at bay, regular health checkups are essential as they can help identify early ...
- Early warning on osteoporosison January 12, 2023 at 2:57 pm
The patient will then invited to a specialist clinic where they will be tested for osteoporosis and given advice and information. If the condition is caught early enough, it can stopped from ...
- What are some possible early warning signs of osteoporosis?on January 9, 2023 at 4:01 pm
Osteoporosis causes bones to become porous and weaker, and many people do not have noticeable symptoms until they experience an injury or fracture. However, early signs of the condition can ...
- Juvenile Osteoporosis: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatmenton January 7, 2023 at 6:51 pm
For better outcome, early diagnosis and treatment is crucial in treatment of such cases of juvenile osteoporosis. Multidisciplinary teams of professionals usually work together for the integrated ...
- Look Out for the Early Signs of Autismon January 3, 2023 at 2:12 pm
Although it takes a doctor to diagnose the condition, parents and caregivers should be aware of the signs, advises the Autism Research Institute, offering some other tips for noticing early symptoms.
- Look out for the early signs of autismon January 2, 2023 at 12:31 pm
When children have autism, it's possible to recognize the symptoms as early as when they are 18 months old. Although it takes a doctor to diagnose the condition, parents and caregivers should be ...
- The Osteoporosis Testing Market Research Report: A Market Analysis from 2022 to 2028.on December 22, 2022 at 11:05 am
By detecting early signs of osteoporosis ... Medicine: Doctors use osteoporosis testing to diagnose and treat osteoporosis. Dentistry: Dental practitioners use osteoporosis testing to assess ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Diagnosing the early signs of osteoporosis
[google_news title=”” keyword=”diagnosing the early signs of osteoporosis” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]