§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) young and (b) old sufferers of osteoporosis there are; what programmes there are to target the condition; what funding is allocated to such programmes; what (i) research and (ii) treatment facilities there are in each of the Government Office regions; and if he will make a statement. [121638]
§ Dr. LadymanThere are an estimated three million osteoporosis sufferers in the United Kingdom. One in three women and one in twelve men over the age of 50 will develop osteoporosis.
It has not proved practical to allocate sums to individual conditions such as osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis services are an integral part of local development and implementation of the national service framework (NSF) for older people's integrated falls service. The falls standard requires every health organisation, in partnership with councils to agree and implement local priorities to reduce the impact falls can have on health, well being and independence, including interventions and advice. To support implementation of the NSF for older people, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is drawing up clinical guidelines for the prevention and treatment of 171W osteoporosis. NICE is also conducting an appraisal of treatments to give doctors the latest evidence based information on the most effective treatments.
Much can be done to prevent osteoporosis developing through making people aware of the need for a balanced diet, regular exercise, ceasing smoking and avoiding excessive intake of alcohol.