Advances in Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment Presented at 8th International Symposium of National Osteoporosis Foundation

Washington, DC (April 1, 2009) – A faculty of internationally-renowned osteoporosis experts are gathering today to share the latest clinically-relevant information on osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis and treatment at the National Osteoporosis Foundation’s (NOF) 8th International Symposium on Osteoporosis (ISO8): “Translating Research Into Clinical Practice,” April 1-5, 2009 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC Held once every two years, ISO8 aims to bridge the gap between osteoporosis research and its application in clinical practice. 

Conference presenters will focus on the role of common, chronic diseases in the incidence of osteoporosis, including diabetes, depression, stroke and Parkinson’s disease, as well as NOF’s recently released Clinician’s Guide to Prevention and Treatment and the World Health Organization’s FRAX® tool, which aid clinicians in evaluating a patient’s risk for fracture. Additionally, presenters will address emerging therapies and diagnostic techniques; skeletal development across the lifespan; and clinical guidelines for diagnosing and treating men with osteoporosis. 

Peter Cavanagh, PhD, University of Washington, professor of orthopaedics and sports medicine, will present a keynote address from his study in which 22 volunteers remain in bed simulating the weightlessness of spaceflight. The study findings offer for the first time a way to prevent bone loss in a specific region of the hip.

 “Osteoporosis and low bone mass are conditions that increase the risk of serious and disabling fractures, affecting 44 million Americans or 55 percent of the population age 50 and older,” said Robert Recker, MD, president of NOF. “Despite all we know about osteoporosis, it remains a disease that is significantly under-diagnosed and under-treated. The information shared at ISO8 will provide clinicians with the most current information and data to prevent osteoporosis, identify people at risk more accurately, and properly diagnose and treat those with the disease.” 

Another major topic of discussion will be the National Action Plan for Bone Health:Recommendations from the Summit for a National Action Plan for Bone Health. “Osteoporosis often goes undetected in patients until a fracture occurs, leading to severe physical, social, functional and psychological consequences,” said Leo Schargorodski, executive director of NOF. “This report serves as a blueprint for public health action to reduce the burden of osteoporosis in the U.S.”

According to NOF prevalence estimates and reinforced in Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General, osteoporosis is a major public health threat for the nation. In the U.S. today, one in two women and one in four men will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their remaining lifetime. 

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Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the National Osteoporosis Foundation is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. Our mission is to prevent osteoporosis and related fractures, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis, and to find a cure through programs of awareness, advocacy, patient and health professional education, and research. For more information, contact NOF online at www.nof.org or by telephone at (800) 223-9994.