Project aims

Although chronic non-communicable diseases, such as obesity (OB), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and chronic liver diseases (CLD) may be related to a higher risk of bone fractures, there is still no proper understanding of the structural basis for increased bone fragility in these conditions. In this project, we intend to elucidate to what extent and how these chronic diseases increase susceptibility to bone fracture and whether they may be responsible for shifting the occurrence of bone fractures towards a younger age and in both sexes. The specific objectives of the project will be to:

1. determine what changes in bone micro- and nanostructural features, mostly invisible by classic diagnostic tools, are caused by OB, T2DM, and CLD in aged individuals, independent of regular effects of aging,
2. analyze the influence of bone micro- and nanostructural changes on bone fracture resistance to assess the relative contribution of each disease to increased bone fragility,
3. investigate the relationships between bone deteriorations at micro- and nanostructural level with clinical findings and propose the recommendations for more accurate risk assessment in individuals with chronic diseases, with regard to their age.