OSPREY to help hundreds with new donated scanners

2 December, 2013

NEW machines to help patients with brittle bone diseases have been donated to a centre in Hull.

Osteoporosis Research in East Yorkshire (Osprey) has presented the Centre for Metabolic Bone Disease with two new bone densitometers worth a total of £130,000.

The scanners check the density of a patient's bones and will help hundreds of people suffering with osteoporosis in Hull and the East Riding.

They replace two similar machines which were becoming dated and unreliable and were presented by Osprey and their patron Lady Pauline Prescott.

Charity chairman Angela Warneken Gold said: “Osteoporosis is growing to epidemic proportions with this obsession with not going out in the sun, because of the fears of skin cancer, and being very skinny.”

“That will have a knock-on effect not just in the western world but we'll soon be faced with a global epidemic.”

“A lack of vitamin D from sunshine and malnutrition from striving to be skinny will mean people don't have the bone strength they need.”

“But if people have to suffer with it, and there are many of us who will, we can say they are in the right place.”

“We have a centre that is very well equipped with the most up-to-date machines with the most efficient engineering.”

“These new machines mean people can be scanned quicker and therefore treated sooner.”

The machines are different to X-rays, which just show the outlines of the bones.

Bone densitometery scans can accurately measure a person's bone density and monitor changes from one screening to the next.

Marian Barron, 68, was diagnosed with osteoporosis about three years ago.

Marian, of west Hull, said: “I was going into the red on the edge of having the disease.”

“I've been taking medication and need to go in for scans to see whether it has improved or not, so I have used the densitometers.”

“You just assume the NHS pays for everything and don't think that charities do it.”

“Osprey has done all this fundraising and it must take a lot of time and effort.”

“I'm very grateful.”

Read the original article at:
http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Donation-help-hundreds-sufferers/story-20233997-detail/story.html#ixzz2m2y68K5c.

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