March 17, 2004
News Release
First Random Bone Density Study
in Youth to Begin
The first ever North American bone density study in a random sample of 16-24 year olds will soon be underway at VGH.
The investigation is part of the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos), a unique 10-year examination of bone health, fractures, and osteoporosis in 9,500 Canadian men and women. "This is a very successful North American epidemiology investigation," says the study's Vancouver director, Dr. Jerilynn Prior, who is also the director of the Centre for Menstruation and Ovulation Research at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and the University of British Columbia. "This research is critically important because with random sampling we are learning about the causes of broken bones in people who represent the whole population. We are at the mid-way point of the study. We learned birth control pills are associated with lower bone density at the baseline, that 16% of women and 7% of men 50 years of age and older have osteoporosis by bone density, and that least 20% of both men and women over the age of 50 had fractures in their spine." Researchers also discovered bone mass peaks before the age of 25. This new arm of the study will enroll 900 adolescents (450 men and women) between the age of 16-24 to determine when bone is at its strongest and what other things are associated with higher bone mass. "Following young people in this study may show us that low bone density in the teen years is the major risk factor for fractures at older ages," Prior says, "We will also follow the five-year change in bone in our other cohort. Ultimately, only from this data will we learn strategies to prevent hip and spine fractures."
Musculoskeletal injuries are the second most costly diseases (to cardiovascular problems) in Canada. The annual costs are over $16 billion across the country and $2.5 billion in BC. Hip fractures and osteoarthritis contribute enormously to this burden. The World Health Organization predicts an epidemic such that the number of hip fractures will rise from 1.7 million in 1990 to 6.3 million by 2050 unless aggressive preventive programs are started.
CaMos is funded by grants from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) ($709,000 per year for five years) and private industry. The coordinating centre is located at the McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal (www.camos.org).
Contact:
Lisa Carver, Communications,
Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
604-708-5283 cell: 604-319-7533
Osteoporosis Fact Sheet
General Features of Disease:
- Also called porous bone disease or brittle bone disease
- Characterized by reduced bone density and strength
- Associated with increased risk of fractures
- Bones most susceptible to breaking
- spinal vertebrae
- hip
- ribs
- wrists
- Initial symptom is often mid- to lower back pain
- Causes decrease in height of up to 15 cm, and curvature of the spine (kyphosis) resulting in "dowager's hump"
Prevalence
- More prevalent in women than men, but affects both sexes
- Precise dimensions unknown, but osteoporosis is a major and costly public health issue. Prevalence and cost are expected to increase as population ages
- Persons of white or Asian descent are most likely to be affected
- More prevalent among older persons, but can strike at any age
Impact
- Hip fractures are associated with increased risk of mortality: 20 - 25% of sufferers die within one year of breaking their hips
- Only half of those breaking a hip return to pre-injury functional status
- Musculoskeletal injuries are the second most costly diseases (to cardiovascular problems) in Canada. The annual costs are over $16 billion across the country and $2.5 billion in BC.
The Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute supports and promotes
research across Vancouver Coastal Health in collaboration with
The University of British Columbia
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