ICUROS study finds international variations in quality of life loss after fracture

Osteoporotic hip and vertebral fractures with most serious impact on quality of life

2011-03-25

(Press-News.org) A study presented today at the European Congress on Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis currently taking place in Valencia, Spain has found that the initial quality of life loss following an osteoporotic fracture is substantial, especially with regard to hip and vertebral fractures. The study found differences in quality of life loss between countries after correcting for other explanatory variables.

The quality of life (QoL) of patients who sustained a hip, wrist or vertebral fracture was examined for the four months following the fracture. The study is part of the International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS) which is an international patient-based study endorsed by the International Osteoporosis Foundation. ICUROS investigates the costs and health effects of osteoporotic fractures in women and men over the age of fifty. The aim is to gather better information regarding the burden of osteoporosis in the participating countries and worldwide. Currently, eleven countries are involved in ICUROS.

Involving 2,737 patients from nine countries, the study found that quality of life loss over four months was highest for hip fractures, followed by vertebral and wrist fractures. Interestingly, significant variations between countries were identified. Quality of life loss after hip fracture was greatest in Lithuania, followed by Italy, Russia and Mexico. Lower quality of life loss was experienced by hip fracture patients in Austria and Sweden. In all countries in which vertebral fractures were studied, patients who were hospitalized experienced more quality of life loss than those who were not hospitalized following vertebral fracture.

### The abstract 'Quality of life four months following a fracture – results from the ICUROS', F. Borgström, et al. (OC14) is published in supplement issue of Osteoporosis International. DOI 10.1007/s00198-011-1554-9

ABOUT ICUROS The International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study – is an international patient based study investigating the costs and health effects of osteoporotic fractures. The intention is to include as many countries as possible to investigate potential differences in quality of life and fracture related costs. The ICUROS will lead to better information regarding the burden of osteoporosis in the participating countries and worldwide, which will increase the awareness of osteoporosis. The ICUROS is endorsed by the International Osteoporosis Foundation and is administered by i3 innovus, Sweden (formerly European Health Economics). http://www.medscinet.com/icuros/

ABOUT IOF The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is a nongovernmental umbrella organization dedicated to the worldwide fight against osteoporosis, the disease known as "the silent epidemic". IOF's members – committees of scientific researchers, patient, medical and research societies and industry representatives from around the world – share a common vision of a world without osteoporotic fractures. IOF now represents 196 societies in 92 locations. http://www.iofbonehealth.org

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Researchers: Sexually active teens need confidential health care

2011-03-25

After reviewing existing research regarding the common practices of health care providers who see adolescent patients across the country, Rebecca Allen, MD, MPH, a clinician and researcher at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, and her colleague, Michelle Forcier, MD, MPH, an adolescent medicine specialist at Hasbro Children's Hospital, asserted that the nation needs to offer more confidential care for teenagers who are sexually active. This includes access to effective contraception, noted the doctors in the paper "Adolescent Sexuality and the Use of Contraception," ...

Military Personnel Caught With Spice and other 'Designer Drugs' Face Serious Consequences

2011-03-25

The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines are ramping up their efforts to go after military personnel using substances often called 'designer drugs.' In particular, the military Services are seeking to punish the use and trafficking in a chemical compound commonly referred to as Spice. Marketed and sold as incense, Spice produces effects similar to marijuana when smoked. Until recently, the sale of Spice has been legal in all states. However, for those in the military, they must know that just because something is legally available for sale to civilians does not mean that ...

Uncertain future for Joshua trees projected with climate change

2011-03-25

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Temperature increases resulting from climate change in the Southwest will likely eliminate Joshua trees from 90 percent of their current range in 60 to 90 years, according to a new study led by U.S. Geological Survey ecologist Ken Cole. The research team used models of future climate, an analysis of the climatic tolerances of the species in its current range, and the fossil record to project the future distribution of Joshua trees. The study concludes that the species could be restricted to the northernmost portion of its current range as early as the ...

Inclusion of falls history shown to enhance accuracy of fracture risk assessment models

2011-03-25

Researchers from the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit in Southampton, UK, have presented a new study that shows how the inclusion of falls history, in addition to clinical risk factors (CRFs) and bone mineral density (BMD) values, would greatly improve the accuracy of fracture prediction models. The research findings were presented today at the European Congress on Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis in Valencia, Spain. Using results from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study, the investigators examined the relative contributions of CRFs, BMD and falls history to fracture prediction. ...

RIT researchers help map tsunami and earthquake damage in Japan

2011-03-25

Japan needs maps. Not just any kind—detailed informational maps georegistered with latitude and longitude and annotated with simple, self-evident details: this bridge is out, this port is damaged, this farm field is scoured; this one is verdant. Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology are processing satellite imagery of regions in Japan affected by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated sections of the country's east coast on March 11. The U.S. Geological Survey, a member of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters," organized the ...

Changing Misconceptions About Immigration

2011-03-25

When French president Nicolas Sarkozy recently declared that France's efforts at "multiculturalism" were a failure, it reminded those of us in the United States that we're not the only country in the world grappling with issues related to foreign immigration. But while European countries have tended to focus on the cultural side of the immigration debate, Americans are often focused on the perceived economic problems of immigration. As it turns out, Americans have less to worry about on both fronts than the current rhetoric might lead one to believe. Economically, immigrants ...

Study: Teachers unaware of growing gender gaps in classrooms

2011-03-25

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A gap in reading and math scores still exists in lower grades, with boys continuing to outpace girls in math, and girls ahead of boys in reading, two University of Illinois education professors say. Using national longitudinal data to perform their analysis, Joseph P. Robinson and Sarah Lubienski investigated male and female achievement in math and reading, looking for when gender gaps first appeared and where in the distribution the gaps were most prevalent. Except for kindergarteners in the 99th percentile, boys and girls generally start out on equal ...

ATVs Remain Dangerous and Prone to Accidents, Crashes

2011-03-25

A recent death of a 12 year old in Florida highlights the danger inherent in the operation of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). Since their introduction in the early 1980s, ATVs have resulted in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits. While the designs have changed from the original 3-wheel, tricycle layout of the first Honda ATV, what hasn't changed is the danger posed by using these recreational vehicles. Since 1982, Florida has reported 447 deaths in connection with ATVs. Nationwide, in the same period, at least 10,000 people have died ...

Around 25 percent of health messages in Spanish text books are not based on scientific evidence

2011-03-25

Most school text books contain messages about health, but 24.6% of these are not based on any scientific evidence, according to a study by the Knowledge Management Unit at Baza Hospital (Granada), published in the journal BMC Public Health. "We analysed a total of 844 health messages in primary and secondary school text books in order to identify the level of scientific evidence underpinning these texts, and we classified them into three categories – messages with a high, medium or low level of evidence, messages with an unknown level of evidence, and messages with no ...

A Motorcycle Helmet: Use It or Lose It?

2011-03-25

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently issued a press release putting mandatory motorcycle helmet use on its Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements. It reported that from 1997 through 2008, the number of motorcycle fatalities more than doubled during a period when overall highway fatalities declined The NTSB has recommended that everyone riding a motorcycle be required to wear a helmet. Currently, only 20 states, the District of Columbia and four territories have universal helmet laws that apply to all riders. Twenty-seven states ...

The Frontiers of Knowledge Award goes to Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen for designing the cryptographic system that protects the security of electronic devices and digital connections worldwide

Traditional and novel virologic markers for functional cure and HBeAg loss with pegylated interferon in chronic hepatitis B

[Press-News.org] ICUROS study finds international variations in quality of life loss after fracture
Osteoporotic hip and vertebral fractures with most serious impact on quality of life

ICUROS study finds international variations in quality of life loss after fracture

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: