The scientists reported that 370,000 cases of fractures in the humerus bone of the upper arm occur each year in both the United States.  While younger individuals between the ages of five and nine accounted for the highest overall number of breaks, they found that arm injuries also spiked among women after age 40 and men after age 60.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, reported that 38.7 million Americans were 65 or older in 2008, but that by the year 2030, that number will be 71.5 million. They project a significant increase in hospital emergency room visits with much of the increase likely to be among older Americans.

The highest number of proximal humerus breaks was seen in both men and women after age 45, and rates kept rising until about age 84.  Women were more than twice as likely as men to suffer a proximal humerus break, and saw an uptick in the breaks earlier in life, starting after age 40, which the researchers attributed to lost bone density.

“Conditions like osteoporosis will increases a person’s likelihood of sustaining a bone fracture as a result of even a simple fall,” explains Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  “Some can be fixed with a cast but other broken bones especially those that occur at older ages will require long periods of care and at could seriously disable a person for long periods of time.”

Indeed, the researchers found that 88 percent of upper-arm breaks were caused by falls, prompting them to call for more rigorous safety measures to reduce falls and better treatments to prevent osteoporosis.

“Prevention is vital, but so is planning for living a long life,” Slome explains.  “If you live into your 80s or beyond, the likelihood you will need long term care is vastly increased but you need to start preparing for this in your 50s and early 60s when the most planning options are still available to you.”

For more information on long term care insurance, visit the Association’s Consumer Information Center at http://www.aaltci.org/long-term-care-insurance/ .  To read a free online guide about reducing costs for long-term care insurance go to long term care insurance costs.

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Expert guidelines advise women age 65 or older to get a bone scan to screen for osteoporosis, explains Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Long Term Care Insurance, one of the nation’s leading long term care experts. Some women with risk factors for osteoporosis, such as smoking, are advised to start screening around age 50. 

However, a new study suggests that a proportion of women who get screened for osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease which causes bones to become fragile and vulnerable to breaks, may not actually need such testing. 

According to scientists conducting the new study, the researchers found that of over 600 women who underwent osteoporosis screening, 41 percent did not meet those criteria.   The study did not explain why the women were tested.  The researchers surmised that in some cases, women might ask for screening or some physicians may not be aware of the guidelines and believe, for example, that it’s best to screen all postmenopausal women. 

Like most screening, testing for osteoporosis has downsides the medical experts note.  Screening is usually done with a special type of x-ray that measures bone density, known as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).   The doctors added that unwarranted DXA screening may lead to some women being treated unnecessarily. 

Following the test for osteoporosis, a woman is given a T-score, which is a comparison of her bone mass against the average bone mass of a healthy, young woman. In some cases, a woman may have relatively low bone mass, though not overt osteoporosis.  “As a result, doctors may feel compelled to treat for the disease,” acknowledged Slome.  Those therapies can carry side effects and increased risks like increased odds of stroke, breast cancer, and heart disease in women taking estrogen.  

To help prevent bone loss with age, experts recommend getting a well-balanced diet with enough calcium and vitamin D, in particular, as well as regular exercise. 

The Association urges women to learn more about long-term care planning and get long-term care insurance cost from a designated expert via the organization’s Consumer Information Center at http://www.aaltci.org/long-term-care-insurance/free-quote/.  “The best ages to start planning are between ages 52 and 62 when costs are lowest and you don’t risk being declined because of existing health conditions,” Slome explains.

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Osteoporosis causes bones to become fragile and easy to break: it is more common in older people, especially women past the menopause according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.  Some 10 million Americans currently need long-term care services. 

Among people aged 50 and over, half of women and one fifth men suffer from the condition.  Experts note that as our population of 78 million baby boomers age, the numbers of cases and deaths increase accordingly.

The scientists explain that bone is not a dead material but a living, dynamic, and finely balanced system of bone formation and breakdown.  Cells called osteoblasts make new bone by producing a matrix that then becomes mineralized, while cells called osteoclasts break it down.

The researchers suggested that one explanation for why skull bone does not get thinner with age like limb bones do is because it has different bone matrix characteristics due to differences in osteoblasts.  They found that limb bones have significantly higher osteocyte densities than skull bone. 

There was an astonishing total of 1,236 differences; meaning that about 4 per cent of the genome showed different levels of activity in the two types of bone cell.  Some of the genes affected are known to be involved in making healthy bones.   The researchers suggested that because the differences between limb and skull bone were so profound, they must arise early in life, probably at the stage when they are still forming in the womb.

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