What Causes Predisposition to Fractures?

Context

Fragility fractures represent a major risk factor of mortality and loss of quality of life in elderly people. Even though low bone mineral density is a significant predictive risk factor in low-energy fractures, more than half of these fractures occur in patients who don’t have osteoporosis. How do we explain this predisposition to fractures? Where is the origin, in the bone or the muscle?

Project

This research project relies on new technologies to measure the microstructural bone density in the study of a cohort of elderly patients (GERICO) to identify predictive risk factors for low-energy fractures. It allows for parallel comprehension of the role played by skeletal muscle in this category of fractures.

 project managers

Professor Serge Ferrari, Division Head Physician, Bone Diseases Division, Department of Medical Specialties, Geneva University Hospitals
Professor Didier Hannouche, Division Head Physician, Adult Orthopedics Division, Department of Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals