Latest news with #osteoporosis
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New bone density scanner comes to hospital
A new state-of-the-art bone density scanner is now in use at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanner, which cost £90,660, is a quick and painless way to check bone health. It measures the strength and condition of someone's bones and screens patients for osteoporosis and other bone-weakening conditions. Early diagnosis of osteoporosis can prevent life-changing fractures, which can otherwise follow everyday occurrences like a cough or a fall from standing height. Half of women over 50 will suffer fractures due to osteoporosis, and a fifth of men, and fractures are the fourth greatest cause of disability in the UK, as well as the second greatest filler of hospital beds. The arrival of the scanner means that many QVH patients can receive their bone density assessment closer to home rather than need to go to elsewhere in Sussex, like Eastbourne, or Lewes, for example, which they have had to do previously, and for other patients it means they can have their treatment at the hospital of their choice. Patient Jane Stewart-Parry fits that bill and she cut the ribbon on the scanner when it arrived at QVH, just moments before she became the first person to use it. Jane, 64, who is from Battle, in East Sussex, said: "Once I knew that the scanner was coming here and that I could be referred here, I wanted to come. "It is amazing, and I am so proud that I am the first patient to be scanned. "My family are really excited too. "My mother died from an undiagnosed osteoporosis condition so it is great that I can come here, to the hospital of my choice, and see where I am at. "I want to make sure I get the right treatment, to make sure I can be monitored as we go along. "It brings peace of mind and awareness too, for my two children, especially my daughter, who is 29. "Cutting the ribbon was fantastic – I shall dine out on that for a while, don't you worry." Sarah Solanki, clinical director core, clinical and community services, said: "It is a great addition for us and our patients. "The machine can examine the bone density of people with suspected, or at risk of having, osteoporosis and in addition how we can monitor patients at risk. "Monitoring at risk patients assists with the ability to reduce their risk of fractures in the future by lifestyle changes and clinical support from specialists." Edmund Tabay, chief nursing officer, added: "The introduction of this scanner is part of our overall community diagnostic programme, and will help patients in our local area and across Sussex, have this treatment. "There is a national shortage of DXA scanners, so we are delighted to include one in our quality offer to patients."
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Doctors warn of a horrifying new side effect of taking fat jabs - with the elderly and frail especially at risk
Weight-loss drugs could be linked to osteoporosis and increased risk of bone fractures, doctors have warned. The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) has expressed concern over research showing that up to 40 per cent of the weight people lose by using injections of GLP-1 agonists – such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro – comes from their vital muscle and bone mass. Losing muscle can impair strength and joint stability, while reduced bone density raises the risk of osteoporosis – a condition that can cause brittle bones. Approximately half a million people in the UK now take GLP-1 drugs, with clinical trials showing they can help patients lose up to 20 per cent of their body weight. However, experts said users should be made aware of potential negative effects. 'This is an emerging field of research and people need to be warned that using these drugs increases the risk of losing bone and muscle as well as fat,' Julia Thomson, a specialist nurse with the ROS, told the Sunday Express. 'Bone and muscle health is key to preventing the risk of falling and fractures which can lead to premature death or else have a devastating effect on people's ability to live independently.' She said it is 'essential' that fat jabs are prescribed appropriately after a discussion with a doctor. Women are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis, especially after menopause when a decline in oestrogen levels further accelerates bone loss. Professor Carl Heneghan, director of Oxford University's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, said: 'Any drug that reduces muscle mass and bone density is a bad idea for people who are frail and those vulnerable to fractures with osteoporosis. 'The evidence is clear – these drugs carry significant risks and the longer a patient stays on them, the greater the risk.' He said the focus should be on preventing obesity, rather than 'medicating large swathes of the population as a quick fix to the obesity pandemic'. Recent analysis by the University of Liverpool found up to 40 per cent of the weight lost while using GLP-1 is muscle and bone.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Thousands of women suffering agonising fractures... because medics think they are 'too young' to have osteoporosis
When Michelle Clark tripped on a concrete step in November 2018 she put it down to clumsiness. But within hours, the mother-of-two was in excruciating pain and practically immobile. Hospital scans revealed Michelle, then 56, had fractured her right kneecap. Doctors applied a cast and told her to rest, expecting it to heal after eight weeks. It wasn't until almost a year later, however, when she broke her right hand while out walking her dog, that the true cause of her repeated injuries came to light. She was diagnosed with osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease that affects 3.5million Britons and causes bones to become fragile and break more easily – and affects women much more than men. However, the diagnosis didn't come from the clinicians who treated her hand. Instead, it was Michelle's children who urged her to push for a DEXA scan – a specialist bone-density test that diagnoses osteoporosis – after seeing how quickly she'd suffered a second fracture Without their intervention, Michelle, who lives with husband Jim, 68, a retired businessman, in Warwickshire, believes she could have gone undiagnosed for years – or until her next, potentially life-threatening, break. Now 62, she says she is still baffled that no medic diagnosed her sooner – even as one doctor joked she had managed to fracture a 'really difficult bone to break'. Michelle is one of tens of thousands of women in mid-life – and younger – who have endured broken bones, and years of pain and frustration, before receiving a diagnosis and treatment. The NHS recommends any adult over 50 who suffers a 'fragility' fracture – a break from a fall at standing height or less – should be assessed for osteoporosis, yet this frequently does not happen. A 2021 report by the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) found many women in their 50s and early 60s are dismissed or misdiagnosed. And the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Osteoporosis and Bone Health reported in 2023 that tens of thousands of women are missing out on timely diagnosis and treatment. One major reason cited was age bias. Clinicians often overlook osteoporosis in younger, postmenopausal women despite it being the most likely cause for fragility fractures. Michelle is speaking out as part of The Mail on Sunday's War On Osteoporosis campaign. We are calling on the Government to ensure every part of the UK is served by a specialist clinic, known as a fracture liaison service (FLS), to screen patients for the condition after a break. While FLS units are in place across every hospital in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, only around half of hospitals in England offer this vital service. Last year Health Secretary Wes Streeting vowed that one of his first acts in government would be to task the NHS with a 'rollout plan' for nationwide access to FLS units. Only in February did he say it would be implemented by 2030. Experts warn every month of inaction on fair access to an FLS puts more lives needlessly at risk. Broken bones are the fourth leading cause of disability and premature death in the UK and the second biggest cause of adult hospital admissions. Hip fractures, often caused by untreated osteoporosis, claim the lives of an estimated 2,500 Britons every year – deaths that campaigners insist are largely preventable. The condition affects men, too, but eight out of ten patients are women as a result of hormonal changes that occur during the menopause altering bone density. 'My diagnosis was a blur,' recalls Michelle. 'I knew absolutely nothing about osteoporosis and I was absolutely gobsmacked. I'm a keen walker and gym goer – suddenly I felt vulnerable and old. 'But what shocked me more was my DEXA scan showed I'd also unknowingly fractured my spine.' At 54, two years before her kneecap injury, Michelle slipped on her stairs, landing on her back. 'That fall must have been to blame for the spine fractures,' she says. 'I was in agony, but after a few days I just carried on as normal, took painkillers and learned to live with it. 'My osteoporosis was missed repeatedly. If there had been a local FLS maybe it could have been picked up before I broke another bone.' When signs of the condition are spotted in FLS, patients are given bone-preserving drugs that more than halve the risk of breaks. Experts say the FLS 'postcode lottery' is putting people at risk. In March, analysis by this newspaper found nine of the ten areas with the highest rates of over-65s with hip fractures do not have an FLS in their hospitals. 'Patients are being let down, it's completely unfair,' says Emma Clark, a professor of clinical musculoskeletal epidemiology at the University of Bristol. 'They deserve consistency – their postcode shouldn't determine the treatment they get. Patients will slip through the cracks. 'The clinics are not just about ensuring they get bone-strengthening medicines. They also give tailored diet and lifestyle support.'
The Sun
5 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Tan-hating woman who covered every inch of her skin from sunlight suffers broken BONE just from rolling over in bed
MADE OF GLASS She always covered her body from head to toe, rarely wore short sleeves outside and always applied sunscreen A WOMAN who covered every inch of her skin from sunlight because she hated being tanned broke her bone just by rolling in her bed. The woman, 48, is said to be suffering from extreme vitamin D deficiency which made her bones so brittle that they broke even when she casually rolled in her bed. 4 4 The bizarre news broke in China's Chengdu region, where the woman was rushed to the hospital after experiencing a bone fracture from merely rolling over in bed. Long Shuang, an attending doctor in the emergency department at XinDu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, revealed that it was a consequence of her prolonged avoidance of sunlight. This led to a severe calcium deficiency in the woman's body, which weakened her bones - so much so that her shoulder bone got crushed by the weight of her own body. Medical tests revealed that her vitamin D level was critically low, which had accelerated bone resorption and led to severe osteoporosis. According to Shuang, the woman had shunned sun exposure since childhood. She always covered her body from head to toe, rarely wore short sleeves outside, and always applied sunscreen, the South China Morning Post reported. It is unclear if the woman's family knew about the prolonged habit of avoiding sunlight. Jiang Xiaobing, Chief Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, issued a warning after the shocking case emerged. He said: It is now common to see people fully covered from head to toe for sun protection – this is indeed unhealthy. "All the bones in our body regenerate every 10 years, but from age 30, we begin to lose bone mass at a rate of 0.5 to 1 per cent per year. "Low calcium intake, lack of sun exposure, and vitamin D deficiency all hinder calcium absorption. A sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and excessive drinking also compromise bone health. 'We need to ensure adequate calcium intake, exercise regularly, and limit smoking and drinking." The shocking incident rocked people in China, where avoiding sunlight is said to have become a trend lately. The bizarre news quickly drew public attention in China. One person wrote on social media: 'This is unbelievable – she broke her bone just by turning over in bed?' Another added: 'This is so extreme. Was she also crash dieting in addition to avoiding the sun? Seriously, everyone needs some sunlight every day.' A third wrote: 'Sadly, this reflects how society has conditioned many Chinese women to prioritise fair skin over their health.' Vitamin D is essential for keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy. It is vital to help your body absorb calcium as well as strengthen the immune system. And according to the British Dietetic Association, even if you have a calcium-rich diet, without enough vitamin D you cannot absorb the calcium into your bones and cells where it is needed. What happens during vitamin D deficiency PEOPLE who don't get enough of the vitamin are more likely to suffer recurring headaches. Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to rickets, heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer. The body makes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight – so those in cooler and less sunny climates have a higher risk. People with darker skin need more sunlight than those with pale skin to generate enough vitamin D. Those who spend most of their time indoors or have their skin covered when outdoors are upping the risk. Also vulnerable are people with long-standing conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis. Symptoms include: Muscle or joint pain and weakness Tiredness/fatigue Bone pain Low mood The following vitamin D-rich foods can help: Oily fish such as salmon, sardines, pilchards, trout, herring, kippers and eel contain reasonable amounts of vitamin D Cod liver oil contains a lot of vitamin D, but pregnant women should not take this Egg yolk, meat, offal and milk contain small amounts which vary during the seasons Margarine, some breakfast cereals, infant formula milk and some yoghurts have added vitamin D 4
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Why we need testosterone products designed for women
Menopause is something nearly every woman will go through. As fertility ends, levels of oestrogen and progesterone drop significantly – changes that can deeply affect physical health, emotional wellbeing and everyday life. For many, the effects of this hormonal shift are more than frustrating – they can be life altering. Symptoms like brain fog, hot flushes, night sweats, headaches, insomnia, fatigue, joint pain, low libido, anxiety, depression and even bone loss from osteoporosis are all common. Read more: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has helped many women manage these symptoms – but one key hormone is often overlooked in both treatment and conversation: testosterone. Testosterone is typically viewed as a 'male hormone,' but it plays a crucial role in women's health too. In fact, women have higher levels of testosterone than either oestrogen or progesterone for most of their adult lives. And like the other sex hormones, testosterone also declines with age – with consequences that are only now being fully explored. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now widely used to replace oestrogen and progesterone during and after menopause. These treatments – available as tablets, patches, gels and implants – are regulated, evidence-based and increasingly accessible through the NHS. But when it comes to testosterone, the situation is entirely different. Currently, there are no testosterone products licensed for use by women in the UK or Europe. The only exception is in Australia, where a testosterone cream specifically designed for women is available. Europe once had its own option – a transdermal patch called Intrinsa, designed and approved by regulators based on clinical evidence to treat low libido in women with surgically induced menopause. But the manufacturer withdrew product in 2012, citing 'commercial considerations' in their letter to the European Medicines Agency, the agency in charge of the evaluation and supervision of pharmaceutical products in Europe. Since then, women across Europe have been left without an approved option. In the absence of licensed treatments, some clinicians – mainly in private practice – are prescribing testosterone 'off label', often using products developed for men. These are typically gels or creams with dosages several times higher than most women need. While doctors may advise on how to adjust the dose, this kind of improvisation comes with risks: inaccurate dosing, inconsistent absorption and a lack of long-term safety data. Some women report significant improvements – not just in libido, but also in brain fog, mood, joint pain and energy levels. However, the only proven clinical benefit of testosterone in women is in improving sexual desire for those with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) following surgical menopause. Even so, interest is growing – fuelled by patient demand, celebrity use, social media buzz and a growing sense that testosterone may be a missing piece in midlife women's care. While there is increasing consensus that testosterone can play a role in supporting women's health, the current situation presents two serious problems: Safety and regulation: without licensed products, standardised dosing guidelines, or long-term safety data, off-label use puts both patients and clinicians in uncertain territory. Access and inequality: testosterone therapy is rarely available through the NHS and is often only accessible through private clinics, creating a two-tier system. Those who can pay hundreds of pounds for consultations and prescriptions can access care, while others are left behind. There are signs of change. For example, I founded Medherant, a University of Warwick spin-out company that is currently developing a testosterone patch designed specifically for women. It's in clinical trials and, if approved, could become the first licensed testosterone product for women in the UK in over a decade. It's a much-needed step – and one that could pave the way for further innovation and broader access. But the urgency remains. Millions of women are currently going without effective, evidence-based care. In the meantime, off-label prescribing should used with care and use based on the best available science – not hype or anecdote – and delivered through transparent, regulated healthcare channels. Women deserve more than workarounds. They deserve treatments that are developed for their bodies, rigorously tested, approved by regulators and accessible to all – not just the few who can afford private care. When half the population is affected, this isn't a niche issue. It's a priority. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. David Haddleton works for and owns shares in Medherant Ltd
