Brussels, 29/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - On 12 November in Brussels, the European Parliament interest group on osteoporosis, chaired by the British Labour member Mel Read, will officially launch an action plan drafted by a group of experts. This plan aims to stimulate the creation of policies aiming to prevent fractures related to osteoporosis, which is characterised by a reduction in the bone mass. To draw attention to this often neglected disease, a photographic exhibition by Olivier Toscani will be housed in the European Parliament during the week starting 12 November. The action plan will be presented during a meeting including the Italian Minister for Health Girolamo Sirchia and his Hungarian counterpart Mihaly Kökény. This initiative, to which several NGOs are associated, enjoys the support of the WHO and the European Commission.
According to a study published in 1992 in the Journal of Bone Mineral Research, one in three women and one in eight men over 50 suffer from osteoporosis related fractures. However, the screening of persons at risk has not much progressed, while preventative treatments exist.