New Approaches to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Abstract

The incidence of osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women is very high. In the US and UK, approximately 40-50% of all women will suffer at least one osteoporotic fracture during their lifetime (Table 1)[1]. Also in men, osteoporosis is prevalent. In USA, 13% of all men will suffer at least one of osteoporotic fracture, while in the UK this figure is about 20%. But the problem is about to increase even further since the proportion of senior citizens is increasing in many populations. In Denmark for example, the number of persons aged 65 years or more will increase by approximately 50% during the next 40 years. Osteoporosis is defined as a disease of “decreased bone mass and deteriorated bone structure to such an extent that bone strength is decreased and the risk of fracture increased”[2]. Peak bone mass (the maximum bone mass attained during adolescent years) and post-menopausal as well as age-related bone loss are important concepts to understand the pathogenesis of this disease.