As stated by the National Osteoporosis Foundation, osteoporosis is a major public health threat for an estimated 44 million Americans, or 55 percent of the people 50 years of age and older. In the U.S., 10 million individuals are estimated to already have the disease and almost 34 million more are estimated to have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis. While osteoporosis is often thought of as an older person's disease, it can strike at any age. Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures annually, including over 300,000 hip fractures and approximately 700,000 vertebral fractures and 250,000 wrist fractures. Notwithstanding these facts, osteoporosis is under-recognized and under-treated. The proposed research should enable bone testing to be done conveniently and safely in a primary care setting. This should lead to earlier detection and treatment and ultimately to reductions in the number of fractures.
| Stein, Emily M; Rosete, Fernando; Young, Polly et al. (2013) Clinical assessment of the 1/3 radius using a new desktop ultrasonic bone densitometer. Ultrasound Med Biol 39:388-95 |
