Fracture prevention in osteoporosis: assessing risks, providing solutions

Excerpt

Osteoporosis is the most common skeletal disorder in the elderly, being characterised by impaired bone mass and microarchitecture, bone strength and, consequently, increased risk of fracture. As the worldwide population ages, the population prevalence of osteoporosis is also increasing, and it is therefore particularly important to manage the disease which will affect more patients for longer. Currently, osteoporosis is defined using bone mineral density (BMD) thresholds determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; however, this definition does not entirely reflect the spectrum of severity of the disease that provides a variable increase in fracture risk. Many osteoporotic fractures do not come to clinical attention, and osteoporosis is still underdiagnosed. Whilst osteopenia is considered a lesser degree of bone loss than osteoporosis, it nevertheless can be of concern when it is associated with other risk factors for fracture. …