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KNOW THE

RISKSStart protecting your bones now: How you can strengthen

your bones to minimise the eff ects of osteoporosis

OSTEOPOROSISNo. 1 / June 2011

Prevention What you can do to lessen the chances

Back breaking How Bob’s life changed in a fl ash

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT DISTRIBUTED IN THE GUARDIAN ON BEHALF OF MEDIAPLANET WHO TAKE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS CONTENTS

2 · JUNE 2011 AN INDEPENDENT INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET

Beating the blight of brittle bones

Osteoporosis can ruin lives — but early diagnosis and treatment can transform a patient’s health. Informing the public is now the really vital task

A preventable trag-edy is unfolding in the UK as the number of people with fragile bones continues to grow dramatically. We

are in the grip of an avoidable emer-gency that causes unnecessary pain and disability from 300,000 frac-tures every year and leads to 1,150 needless deaths each month.

Fragile bones can devastate lives — broken bones rob people of their independence, mobility and quali-ty of life. Fractures of the wrist, rib and spine can lead to people be-coming housebound, isolated and depressed. Hip fractures too of-ten lead to an early death. With-out care, support and appropriate treatment, someone with fragile bones can fracture a bone by some-thing as simple as coughing, with significant numbers living in fear of a fracture.

The problem is all too common: the National Osteoporosis Soci-ety estimates that three million people in the UK have osteoporo-sis. Fragile bones lead to 300,000 fractures in the UK annually, com-pared to 275,000 heart attacks and 110,000 strokes.

These statistics are unnecessari-ly high and are getting worse. With the population of the UK getting older, we need to take steps now to drastically improve the situation.

A worrying 40 per cent of pa-tients diagnosed with a fracture

in the spine will have constant pain and the majority will have difficulties with daily activities. A staggering 10 per cent of those who have a hip fracture die with-in one month and 30 per cent die within a year.

This human cost is unaccepta-ble — otherwise perfectly healthy older people are suffering multi-ple fractures that could have been avoided.

The good news is that we can do something to stop this. Broken bones are not an inevitable part of ageing and much can be done to prevent them. For people with or at risk of fragile bones, we can of-fer information, support and bet-ter services.

By promoting healthy lifestyles that encourage strong bones, we can help to stop osteoporosis be-fore it even starts.

With early intervention, broken bones can be avoided.

Mrs Claire Severgnini,Chief Executive, National Osteoporosis Society

“Early prevention can make a huge difference to sufferers”

Bruce ForsythTV presenter

PAGE 4

OSTEOPOROSIS, 1ST EDITION, JUNE 2011

Managing Director: Willem De GeerEditorial Manager: Katherine WoodleyBusiness Developer: Christopher Emberson

Responsible for this issueProject Manager: Jessica PaceyPhone: 020 7665 4442E-mail: jessica.pacey@mediaplanet.com

Distributed with: The Guardian, June 2011Print: The Guardian Print Centre

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Worried about breaking a bone? Learn how to protect your bones by joining the National Osteoporosis Society today!

Receive our quarterly magazine Osteoporosis News

Keep up with the latest osteoporosis research and treatments

Learn how to live a bone-healthy lifestyle

Discover how others cope with osteoporosis

To receive the specially reduced membership rate of £15 (normally £18) call 01761 473287 quoting ‘offer’

“Joining the National Osteoporosis Society has given me a new lease of life by helping me to understand my condition and cope with the pain and problems it causes. It also means I am part of a strong, friendly and caring community dedicated to building stronger bones.”

Helen Jamison, SussexCamerton, Bath BA2 0PJ

Email: info@nos.org.uk

President: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall

The National Osteoporosis Society is a registered charity no. 1102712 in England and Wales,

and no. SC039755 in Scotland.

Registered as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales no. 4995013

4 · JUNE 2011 AN INDEPENDENT INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET

Question: Is it possible to live a full life while suff ering from osteoporosis?Answer: Yes, but early diagnosis and treatment are essential

Osteoporosis, where a loss of sub-stance of the bone predisposes suf-ferers to low-stress fractures, usual-ly to the spine, wrist and hip, is usu-ally seen as something that affects older women. While that is true, it is far more widespread than many people re-alise and aff ects many men. Up to three mil-lion people in the UK currently suf-fer from osteoporo-sis — literally ‘porous bones’ — and near-ly one in two women and one in fi ve men over the age of 50 will fracture a bone. However, diagnosis can be slow: osteoporosis is still not widely understood, is not always tested for after a fracture and many regional hospitals do not have specialist units to deal with the condition. This is a serious prob-lem: osteoporosis-related fractures can ruin lives.

But this need not be the case if the condition is diagnosed early

and treated properly. “Os-

teoporosis is a very bad disabling, de-forming disease,” says Professor John Studd, Vice President of the National Os-

teoporosis Society and Chairman of the British Menopause Society. “If someone over the age of 75 has a frac-ture, a quarter will die and a half will lose their independence early. How-

ever, it is preventable if you get the appropriate therapy.

Anyone at risk should get their bone densi-

ty measured and if the density is low,

there is a lot that can be

done.”

People at risk include post-meno-pausal women (due to falling oestro-gen levels), anyone who is very thin, women who have had a hysterecto-my, anyone treated for a condition using steroids, anyone treated for a condition using anti-infl ammatory drugs, suff erers of depression and anyone who has a family history of it. Caucasians are far more likely to develop it than Afro-Caribbeans, as the latter have more collagen in their bones.

But it need not be a blight. Any-one at risk should have regular DXA and bone densitometry scans and might be proscribed calcium and vi-tamin D, as a preventative measure. For people who already have it, a new range of medications including bi-sphophonates can help prevent fur-ther loss of bone mass. Early diagno-sis and prevention can make a huge diff erence to suff erers and with half the UK population likely to be over 50 by 2020, it is a message that cannot be brought home soon enough.

DON’T LIVE A FRACTURED LIFE

VIRGINIA BLACKBURN

info.uk@mediaplanet.com

NEWS

KNOW YOUR BONE DENSITYBruce Forsyth is one of the many celebrities helping raise the awareness of osteoporosisPHOTO: NICK VEASEY, FOR NATIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS SOCIETY

REALLY NAKED CALENDAR

JUNE 2011 · 5AN INDEPENDENT INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET

Question: How can I minimise the risk of developing osteoporosis?

Answer: By making some lifestyle changes while you’re still young

Although osteoporosis is a dis-ease that affects older people, it is when you are younger that you can start guarding against the risks. A few lifestyle changes can make a big difference in the long-er term. “It’s up until your twen-ties to thirties that you can build up your bone density,” says Dr Helen Macdonald, senior lecturer in nutrition and bone health at the University of Aberdeen. “After that, bone density stays the same for a while and then starts to go down. We call it putting ‘bone in the bank’.”

The risk of developing oste-oporosis is partly genetic, but there is a great deal you can do. Smoking increases the risk, so smokers should stop immediately. “Smoking has an impact on bone-building cells and it may also bring on an earlier menopause,” says Susan Leyland, senior osteoporo-sis nurse and telephone manag-er at the NOS. “Drinking in mod-erate amounts might actually be beneficial for oestrogen, but you shouldn’t have more than three units a day, or it will be harmful.”

One of the most important el-ements in building future health

is to ensure the body has plenty of calcium, right from early child-

hood. It is recommended that people try to have at least three portions of dairy every day — skimmed milk contains as much calcium as full. Other foods con-taining calcium are tofu, dark green vegetables, apricots and pulses. Sardines have calcium in the bones.

Additionally, people need sun-shine, which gives the body vita-min D, a good diet and exercise. A good diet should contain fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates and protein.

Vitamin D is crucial, so peo-ple should try to spend at least 10 minutes a day outside with-out sunblock (being careful not to burn). Oily fish and egg yolks contain it, too. Some breakfast ce-reals add it.

“Exercise is also very impor-tant,” says Dr Macdonald. “Grav-ity works in the bones: if you go up in space, you lose bone densi-ty. So a weight-bearing exercise, anything that involves jumping, skipping and running, is good.”

Dr Macdonald’s general tips are to try to be neither under nor overweight, don’t eat too much salt, eat a balanced diet including wholegrains, fruit and vegetables, and don’t overdo the caffeine.

Build up your bone bank

WORK ON PREVENTION. The lifestyle choices you make when you’re in your twen-ties and thirties have a real impact on your chances of developing osteoporosis. PHOTO: KZENON/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

VIRGINIA BLACKBURN

info.uk@mediaplanet.com

Calcium is vital for strong teeth

and bones because it gives them

strength and rigidity.

Bodies contain about 1kg of this

important mineral, 99 per cent of

which is found in bones.

It should be simple to get enough

calcium through healthy eating, or

through taking additional supple-

ments. 700mg daily is recommend-

ed although those with osteoporosis

taking drug treatments might benefit

from 1,000 to 1,200mg a day.

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6 · JUNE 2011 AN INDEPENDENT INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET

Question: Does osteoporosis only aff ect women? Answer: No, and men should be more aware of the need to look after their own bone strength

Osteoporosis is a condition many be-lieve aff ects only women, but in fact it can wreak havoc in the lives of men. In June 2002, Bob Rees, who lives in mid-Glamorgan, who was then working as a sales director for a workwear com-pany, was on holiday in the Dominican Republic with his family. On the dance fl oor with his wife Jean, Jean put her hands on Bob’s shoulders and Bob put his hands on his wife’s hip. “I felt like I’d been thumped with an iron bar,” Bob, now 52, said. “Jean could actually feel my bones crushing, but I thought I was having a heart attack and then I was out cold.”

When Bob fi nally came round, the pain in his back was excruciating and he was paralysed from the chest down. “The local doctor initially thought it was a trapped nerve, but ultimately

it emerged I had broken my back,” he said.

Initially, it was put down to a spi-nal tumour — the doctors thought he had bone cancer. A lengthy operation saw the removal of vertebrae and a rib; meanwhile a titanium cage was insert-ed into Bob’s body to support him.

“Between October and Christmas, I fractured 12 ribs by coughing or turning over in bed, but it wasn’t until the fol-lowing March that I was diagnosed as having osteoporosis, and told I had the bones of an 80-year-old,” says Bob. Ini-tial relief that it wasn’t cancer turned into shock as the implications sunk in: although he recovered some movement after the operation, Bob still can’t walk further than 10 yards. He was forced to take early retirement, “lives on mor-phine” and is treated weekly with bi-sphosphanats, which stopped the prob-lem getting any worse, but cannot re-

place that bone density that was lost.“Between the pain and the loss of

my job, I initially became clinically de-pressed,” says Bob. “I had lost my status in life. However, I contacted the NOS and now I travel and tour with them to alert other people to the risks. I also went to a chronic pain management clinic, who helped me to manage, and while every day is a struggle, there is a point in life again. My consultant is very forward looking and gives me treatments that have only been tested on women. My bones are not as weak as they were.”

No one knows why this happened to Bob, as there is no family history of the disease, although Bob does say that his very sedentary lifestyle combined with a bad diet didn’t help. But men should realise the risks too — and act.

I had the bones of an 80-year-old

VIRGINIA BLACKBURN

info.uk@mediaplanet.com

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JUNE 2011 · 7AN INDEPENDENT INSERT BY MEDIAPLANET

DOWNING STREETBob tours with the NOS to raise awareness of the effects of osteoporosisPHOTO: PRIVATE

Pioneers who led the wayThe National Osteoporosis Society is 25 this year. So just how did it come to be established?

The brainchild of a couple of Bath-based doctors and a PR ex-pert, the NOS has transformed the way osteoporosis is viewed today. In 1986, Dr Allen Dixon, a Bath rheumatologist, and Com-mander Dickie Rowe, a health administrator, set the society up. They brought in Linda Ed-ward, a PR professional and af-ter Rowe died of a heart attack, she became a director, a post she held for 16 years until her death in 2003.

In 1988, the NOS launched its first major conference for health professionals in the UK. The NOS works to raise money for research, as well as provid-ing guidance and campaign-ing for better services. In 1994, National Awareness Week was launched; in 1996 came the first Research Appeal and there is a Helpline for sufferers. In 1998, the first government strategy on osteoporosis was launched.

VIRGINIA BLACKBURN

info.uk@mediaplanet.com

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