The Use of Artificial Neural Networks to Predict Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis arises when the bone lose sufficient mineral to allow fractures to develop after only minimal trauma. It is an extremely common condition in post-menopausal women and is becoming more common because of the increasing number of elderly women in the population. The most devastating effects of osteoporosis arise when the patient fractures either the hip or the vertebrae. These conditions are painful and disabling and are frequently the precipitating factor for an elderly person having to give up an independent existence. The cost of treating the results of osteoporosis fractures is immense. We now have accurate and widely applicable methods for measuring the bone density and thus identifying patients at risk. However, the necessary scanners are not widely available and it is not thought to be profitable to screen the entire population at risk with bone scanners.......