(Press-News.org) Obesity is widely believed to be protective against fracture, although a recent study has documented a high prevalence of obesity in postmenopausal women with fragility fracture.
An international group of researchers has today presented research at the European Congress on Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis (ECCEO11-IOF) that compares the prevalence and location of fractures in obese (BMI≥30 kg/m2) and non-obese postmenopausal women and examines specific risk factors for fracture.
A history of fracture after age 45 years was observed in 23% of obese and 24% of non-obese women. Nearly one in four postmenopausal women with fractures is obese. The upper arm, ankle and lower leg were significantly more likely to be affected in obese than non-obese women with a prevalent fracture, whereas fractures of the wrist, hip and pelvis were significantly less common than in non-obese women. When compared to non-obese women, obese women with a prevalent fracture were more likely to be current cortisone users, to report early menopause, to report fair or poor general health, to use arms to assist standing from a sitting position, and to report more than two falls in the past year.
The research demonstrates that obese postmenopausal women are almost as likely to fracture as non-obese women, and that poor mobility and increased risk of falls may play an important role. The findings have significant public health implications in view of the rapidly rising numbers of obese people in the population.
###
Abstract OC21: Fractures in obese postmenopausal women: prevalence, skeletal location and risk factors. J. Compston et al. Osteoporosis International
DOI 10.1007/s00198-011-1554-9
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
ABOUT ESCEO
The European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) is a non-profit organization, dedicated to a close interaction between clinical scientists dealing with rheumatic disorders, pharmaceutical industry developing new compounds in this field, regulators responsible for the registration of such drugs and health policy makers, to integrate the management of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis within the comprehensive perspective of health resources utilization. The objective of ESCEO is to provide practitioners with the latest clinical and economic information, allowing them to organize their daily practice, in an evidence-based medicine perspective, with a cost-conscious perception. http://www.esceo.org
Nearly 1 in 4 postmenopausal women with fractures is obese
Although less likely to suffer a hip or wrist fracture, obese women suffer from fragility fractures at other sites, partly due to poor mobility and increased risk of falls
2011-03-26
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Proposed Ohio Sexting Law: Lower Sex Crimes Consequences for Teens
2011-03-26
Anyone who faces sex crimes charges must understand the importance of an aggressive criminal defense. From false allegations to overzealous prosecutors, a suspect's world can change drastically overnight. If that person is a juvenile or young person just entering the adult world, the shame and embarrassment of the ordeal can cause lasting damage.
A new bill before the Ohio legislature could provide significant relief for young people who face criminal prosecution due to "sexting." Currently, minors who send nude images to other minors on iPhones and other telecommunications ...
Research may lead to new treatments for Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders
2011-03-26
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A group of scientists at Marshall University is conducting research that may someday lead to new treatments for repair of the central nervous system.
Dr. Elmer M. Price, who heads the research team and is chairman of Marshall's Department of Biological Sciences, said his group has identified and analyzed unique adult animal stem cells that can turn into neurons.
Price said the neurons they found appear to have many of the qualities desired for cells being used in development of therapies for slowly progressing, degenerative conditions like Parkinson's ...
Mount Sinai finds promising clue to mechanism behind gene mutation that causes Parkinson's disease
2011-03-26
Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a way that mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause the most common inherited form of Parkinson's disease. The study, published online this month in the journal Public Library of Science, shows that upon specific modification called phosphorylation, LRRK2 protein binds to a family of proteins called 14-3-3, which has a regulatory function inside cells. When there is a mutation in LRRK2, 14-3-3 is impaired, leading to Parkinson's. This finding explains how mutations lead to the development of Parkinson's, providing ...
Witness Crashes Into Hit-and-Run Driver Fleeing Accident Scene
2011-03-26
A driver who ran a red light at the Miami intersection of 79th Street and Northwest 27th Avenue killed one and critically injured another. The two were injured in the hit-and-run accident while waiting for the bus stop.
As the driver attempted to flee the scene of the accident, however, witnesses in a nearby vehicle forced the hit-and-run driver off the road in an effort to prevent him from driving away. The witness was successful in stopping the driver who caused the car accident.
According to police, a Toyota truck driver was involved in an accident with two other ...
Young asthmatics are leaving emergency rooms missing critical documentation
2011-03-26
This press release is available in French.
It sounds unbelievably simple but it's true – a written action plan for asthma treatment, attached to the drug prescription, improves asthma control in children. "Acute care visits for asthma often signal a management failure," said Dr. Francine Ducharme, of the University of Montreal's Department of Pediatrics and the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre. "This research shows that, even in the emergency department setting where little time is available to provide education, the provision of a written action plan significantly ...
MIT engineers devise new way to inspect materials used in airplanes
2011-03-26
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- In recent years, many airplane manufacturers have started building their planes from advanced composite materials, which consist of high-strength fibers, such as carbon or glass, embedded in a plastic or metal matrix. Such materials are stronger and more lightweight than aluminum, but they are also more difficult to inspect for damage, because their surfaces usually don't reveal underlying problems.
"With aluminum, if you hit it, there's a dent there. With a composite, oftentimes if you hit it, there's no surface damage, even though there may be internal ...
'Can you hear me now?' Researchers detail how neurons decide how to transmit information
2011-03-26
PITTSBURGH—There are billions of neurons in the brain and at any given time tens of thousands of these neurons might be trying to send signals to one another. Much like a person trying to be heard by his friend across a crowded room, neurons must figure out the best way to get their message heard above the din.
Researchers from the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, a joint program between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, have found two ways that neurons accomplish this, establishing a fundamental mechanism by which neurons communicate. ...
Slip and Falls: A Problem That Doesn't Slip Away
2011-03-26
Someone slips and falls in a store or a restaurant. They are injured. The injured sues and the business loses the case or settles. One would think the first thing the business would do would be to fix the problem that caused the injury to avoid another injury, and in turn, another personal injury lawsuit.
But one would be wrong. A story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune tells the story of a woman injured in a slippery parking lot of a Denny's. The downspouts on the restaurant run under a sidewalk and into the parking lot. During the winter, the drain ices over. It was ...
Basics of Benefits for Disabled Children
2011-03-26
Children who are born with disabilities, or who become disabled during their childhood years, may be eligible to receive payments through the government's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The requirements for children to receive SSI are strict and are based on the nature of the disability and the family's total income. However, if eligible, the payments can be a helpful supplement to other household income and contribute to the care and well-being of disabled children, which can be medically intensive and costly.
Income Requirements
One goal of SSI payments ...
Surprise! Biodiversity and resource use may co-exist in tropical forests
2011-03-26
Contrary to popular belief, the biodiversity of a tropical forest may be conserved while its resources are used to support local household livelihoods, according to a new study published in the March 25 issue of Science. But biodiversity and resource use are most likely to successfully co-exist in forests that are managed under systems that receive inputs from local forest users or local communities.
These study results imply that one important way for governments to simultaneously promote biodiversity and forest-based livelihoods is to formalize the rights of local people ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Innovative oncolytic virus and immunotherapy combinations pave the way for advanced cancer treatment
New insights into energy metabolism and immune dynamics could transform head and neck cancer treatment
Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Steven Heymsfield named LSU Boyd Professor – LSU’s highest faculty honor
Study prompts new theory of human-machine communication
New method calculates rate of gene expression to understand cell fate
Researchers quantify rate of essential evolutionary process in the ocean
Innovation Crossroads companies join forces, awarded U.S. Air Force contract
Using new blood biomarkers, USC researchers find Alzheimer’s disease trial eligibility differs among various populations
Pioneering advances in in vivo CAR T cell production
Natural medicines target tumor vascular microenvironment to inhibit cancer growth
Coral-inspired pill offers a new window into the hidden world of the gut
nTIDE September2025 Jobs Report: Employment for people with disabilities surpasses prior high
When getting a job makes you go hungry
Good vibrations could revolutionize assisted reproductive technology
More scrutiny of domestic fishing fleets at ports could help deter illegal fishing
Scientists transform plastic waste into efficient CO2 capture materials
Discovery of North America’s role in Asia’s monsoons offers new insights into climate change
MD Anderson and Phoenix SENOLYTIX announce strategic cross-licensing agreement to enhance inducible switch technologies for cell and gene therapies
Researchers discover massive geo-hydrogen source to the west of the Mussau Trench
Even untouched ecosystems are losing insects at alarming rates, new study finds
Adaptive visible-infrared camouflage with wide-range radiation control for extreme ambient temperatures
MD Anderson research highlights for September 5, 2025
Physicists create a new kind of time crystal that humans can actually see
Reminder: Final media invitation for EPSC-DPS2025 and details of media briefings on RAMSES and Juno missions
Understanding orderly and disorderly behavior in 2D nanomaterials could enable bespoke design, tailored by AI
JAMA Network launches JAMA+ Women's Health
Surface plasmon driven atomic migration mediated by molecular monolayer
ERC Starting Grant for five University of Groningen scientists
AI turns printer into a partner in tissue engineering
What climate change means for the Mediterranean Sea
[Press-News.org] Nearly 1 in 4 postmenopausal women with fractures is obeseAlthough less likely to suffer a hip or wrist fracture, obese women suffer from fragility fractures at other sites, partly due to poor mobility and increased risk of falls