Bones with osteoporosis become porous because of deterioration of the bone tissue, which leads to bone fragility and increase in fracture risk. There are two types of osteoporosis. Type I occurs predominantly in women within 15-20 years after menopause and estrogen deficiency plays a predominant role. Type II occurs in men and women over the age of 70 (women twice as frequently as men) and estrogen deficiency plays a far less predominant role.
Eighty percent of persons with osteoporosis are women. This disease affects 8 million (30-40% of all) women in the US. One in two women over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime. Osteoporosis also affects 2 million (5-15% of) men. One in eight men will eventually experience an osteoporosis-related fracture.
Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures every year, including 700,00 vertebral fractures; 300,000 hip fractures; 250,000 wrist fractures; and 300,000 fractures at other sites.
There is currently no cure for osteoporosis. The best treatment available for osteoporosis is prevention. The goals of therapy are to slow the progression of the disease once it has started, and to minimize the risks of complications that may cause pain and reduction in function. The current core therapies include calcium supplementation and regular weight-bearing exercise. Drugs used to treat osteoporosis fall into two categories: those that slow or inhibit bone resorption and those that accelerate bone formation.
This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals. This is the same type of information that is available to physicians and other health care professionals. A partial selection of journal articles that are abstracted in this MediFocus Guide includes:
Therapeutic approaches to bone diseases. Science. 2000
Orthopaedic surgery in the elderly. Hospital Medicine (London). 2000
Primary osteoporosis in men: role of sex steroid deficiency. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2000
Raloxifene. Not better than estrogen. Canadian Family Physician. 2000
Dietary considerations to prevent loss of bone and renal function. Nutrition. 2000
Osteoporosis prevention, detection, and treatment. A mandate for primary care physicians. Postgraduate Medicine. 2000
Inhaled corticosteroids: 2. Systemic toxicity. Hospital Practice (Office Edition). 2000
Hypervitaminosis A and bone. Nutrition Reviews. 2000
Obesity, brain and gonadal functions, and osteoporosis. Journal of the American Dental Association. 2000
Carcinoma of the breast and hormone replacement therapy for osteoporosis. International Journal of Clinical Practice. 2000
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