Broken bones can be anything from a straight forward case of plastering up for six weeks or lead to much more complex problems such as infection and long term time off work. This can sometimes depend on how the break occurred, the health of the patient at the time and also the age of the patient. The older the patient, the more likely it is that there will be on-going problems.



Those with health insurance may enjoy the benefits of swifter health care and also the reassurance that if a broken bone should lead to more complicated issues, that once again, their health insurance may see them through it.

Many breaks occur in the older person due to weakening bones and loss of bone density from osteoporosis. This condition affects more than 75 million people across Europe, South America, Japan and the US so it is a big problem. It is more of a concern for women, given that one in three women over the age of fifty will suffer from bone fractures and according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, this is expected to rise if no assistance is forthcoming.

That said, trials are continuing to test a drug that it is hoped will bring some future hope. Drug company Merck are testing the drug Odanacatib for the treatment of osteoporosis in post menopausal women and this has been going on over the last two years with promising results. Once the drug has been fully tested and approved by the relevant authorities, it will then be on the market for doctors to prescribe.

The test results to date were announced at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Canada earlier this month.

Osteoporosis is a condition which affects the density of the bones. Bone is not dead tissue and continues to grow but this process is slowed in later life and bones become porous, losing their resilience and elasticity which leaves them weak. This leads to fractures, particularly of the hips and spine, but the hope results of the drug trial so far indicate that Odanacatib increases the bone formed within two years, effectively healing the body from within and reducing the risks of bone fractures.

The trial is expected to continue for some time so that dosages can be adjusted and other factors, such as the use of Vitamin D in conjunction with the drug, can be factored in but so far, it is looking very hopeful that an answer will soon be found.

Osteoporosis, along with the bone fractures that it brings, brings misery to many patients every year. Hospital wards are often burgeoning with elderly patients with complicated hip fractures. Not only do they suffer the broken bone itself but they will also take much longer to heal as the bone growth is reduced and this leaves time for complications such as infections to set in.

The drug would, of course, be able to be used for anybody with a broken bone to aid healing at a much faster rate and this is good news not only for the patients but for the hospital administration teams as it will free up beds quicker.