2007年VOA标准英语-New Drug Being Tested to Treat Osteoporosis

By Carol Pearson
Washington
07 May 2007
 

There are a lot of myths about osteoporosis, a bone disease that leads to the thinning of bone tissue, and ultimately, to broken hips², wrists and spines⁴. One myth is that only women get osteoporosis. Another:  that only old women get it.  The truth is, men can suffer from it too.  So can young people. But osteoporosis is treatable, and now, there is a new, once-a-year treatment on the horizon. VOA's Carol Pearson has the story.

Osteoporosis is often called a "silent disease" because there are no symptoms, and people may not even know they have it, until they have back pain, or a fracture.

Cindy Uhl

Cindy Uhl was 46 when she found out she had osteoporosis.... after she shattered her wrist during a fall. "It looked like I had gone through a car windshield from the way the bones had been damaged." She needed surgery to put her wrist back together.

Dr. Lorraine Fitzpatrick performed the surgery. "Cindy had bones that were equivalent of someone who is 15 to 20 years older than she was."

The U.S. National Institutes of Health estimates that many women in their 30s and 40s have significant bone density⁵ loss.

Looking at a hip¹ fragment from a healthy, 40-year-old woman and looking at one from a woman of the same age whose bones are thinning, the differences are obvious.

While it is true that 80 percent of those affected⁶ by osteoporosis are women, and many are old, men can get it, too. Whites and Asians are most at risk, but people of other races can have osteoporosis as well.

Fortunately, there are plenty of medications to treat the disease.

Dr. Felicia Cosman, of Helen Hayes Hospital, says many people stop taking their medication within a year.

"People forget to take pills.  People don't want to take pills.  There are many people in this age group, women in their 60s, 70s and 80s who are taking other medications for other purposes and they don't want to take more medication."

Those who stop taking their medication are at greater risk of having a bone fracture.  Twenty percent of hip fracture patients in the U.S. die within one year of their fall; usually from complications such as pneumonia⁷ or blood clots⁸ after surgery.

But a new drug, zoledronic acid, only needs to be taken once a year through an IV drip that takes 15 minutes.

Dr. Elinor Mody, with Brigham and Womens Hospital, said, "It's as good as other drugs on the market, and it's much more convenient and easy for patients to take."

A study found women who got zoledronic acid had dramatically fewer spine³ and hip fractures than those taking a placebo⁹.  The women on zoledronic acid also had significantly fewer fractures of other bones.

1 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

2 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

4 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

8 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。