Why focus on bones and joints?
Across the world, millions of people have conditions that affect bones and joints. Because people are living longer, conditions like arthritis and osteoporosis have a great impact on costs of care and quality of life. Joint diseases account for more than half of all chronic conditions in the elderly. In many countries, road traffic injuries are a major problem. By the year 2010, the cost of treating road traffic injuries may account for one-quarter of all health care expenditures in developing nations. Road traffic injuries can result in long-term disability and greatly affect an individual’s quality of life.
