OVER 50 GPs and healthcare professionals from the county attended an osteoporosis seminar at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital on October 14. Organised by the Exeter and District National Osteoporosis Society Support Group, the event was aimed at increasing delegates? knowledge of the fragile bone disease. Eminent speakers drawn from different parts of the country, and specialists in their particular subject, were much appreciated by an attentive audience ranging from GPs and specialist osteoporosis nurses to physiotherapists, pharmacists and carers of the elderly. All who came learnt something new that would assist them in their area of work and all expressed a desire for further seminars to be arranged in the future. Understandably, osteoporosis has for far too long been rated of little importance compared to illnesses such as cancer or heart disease. However, the alarming increase in osteoporosis cases, especially in young people, demands that the situation be addressed by well-informed health professionals. Ironically, this potentially painful and disabling disease is one that can be arrested or even often prevented, if caught early enough. With half of women and one in five men over the age of 50 expected to break a bone as a result of osteoporosis, it is up to all of us, both members of the public and the healthcare community, to better educate ourselves about the disease. Mrs Christine Pankhurst Chair of the Exeter and District NOS Support Group