21st Managing Osteoporosis & 2nd Practical Management of Osteoporosis Conferences showcased latest research

21st Managing Osteoporosis & 2nd Practical Management of Osteoporosis Conferences showcased latest research
22 Jan

21st Managing Osteoporosis & 2nd Practical Management of Osteoporosis Conferences showcased latest research

The field of osteoporosis and bone health is evolving and to stay at the forefront, the 21st Managing Osteoporosis Conference was held in Bournemouth Hospital in December 2013 bringing together an innovative and dynamic programme.

I have been President of Osteoporosis Dorset, the Charity holding the event, since its inception 21 years ago, so was delighted to be invited to welcome delegates to 2 days of opportunity to increase knowledge of bone disease.

The keynote address “Falls, Fragility, Fractures” was given by the dynamic Professor Cyrus Cooper who has also been involved with Osteoporosis Dorset since it began.  Now Director of Rheumatology at Southampton University and Southampton General Hospital he outlined lessons learned in the last two decades and opportunities for the next decades!

Over 200 doctors and allied health professionals from around the South of England joined us over the two days. It was an unrivalled event for personal and professional development, and was attended by consultants, surgeons, GP’s, physiotherapists and many other health professionals dealing with bone disease. We heard from internationally renowned experts including Dr Mike Stone from University Hospital Cardiff.

In the UK, one in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 will break a bone mainly because of poor bone health.  Another speaker was Professor Juliet Compston from University of Cambridge, School of Clinical Medicine told us more about the disease. There are about 300,000 fragility fractures every year in the UK. 1,150 people are dying every month in the UK as a result of hip fractures.

The cause of the disease is still not fully understood, but research continues to build up a picture of the factors that influence our bone health.  Dr Nick Harvey, Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Rheumotologist, University and Hospital of Southampton talked about cutting edge advances in osteoporosis, bone disease and bone unfriendly drugs.

We learned about case identification and clinical risk factors, treatments and drugs used to strengthen and maintain bone health, Dr Adam Wheldon talked about eating for your bones sake and the necessity for good diet containing adequate calcium and vit D.   Weight bearing exercise and management of the disease to maintain strong bones was discussed and we were encouraged to take part in a short Tai Chi session by instructor Robert Joyce who demonstrated the importance of improving posture and balance in older people.

It truly was an unmissable event for personal and professional development.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff at the Education Centre, who helped put on this successful conference and also like to thank the Annual Medical Conference Planning Committee lead by David Rhys-Jones for all their hard work.

The Charity we look forward to welcoming delegates to their Annual Conference in 2014 and if any health professionals would like to know further information, please contact the Charity today.

Diana Moran, President of Osteoporosis Dorset.