Recent advances in management of osteoporosis

Abstract

Osteoporosis is simply defined as it is an abnormal reduction in bone tissue mass per unit volume of anatomical bone. Bone; as an active biological tissueis in a state of equilibrium between bone formation and bone breakdown. In osteoporosis this equilibrium has been disturbed i.e. the rate of bone breakdown exceeds the rate of bone formation.

The most cmTentJy accepted definition of osteoporosis is that it is a skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass and microarchitecturaJ deterioration of bone tissue with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture risk.

Osteoporosis is diagnosed by the following methods:

A. Clinical manifestations: Including:

I -History: showing the family history, race, body weight, estrogen, calcium and vitamin D and medications and drugs and their effects on osteoporosis. 2-Symptoms and signs: including acute and chronic back pain, vertebral defonnities, loss of height, kyphosis, other fractures and other associated symptoms like anorexia and bulimia.

B. Laboratory investigations: Including:

I. Serum and urine calcium and phosphate.

2. llormonal assays as parathyroid hormone, calcitonin hormone, and vitamin D. 3. Bone markers:

a- Markers of bone fonnation like serum alkaline phosphatase and serwn osteocalcin. b- Markers of bone resorption like urinary calciwn excretion, urinary hydroxyproline and urinary excretion of collagen cross-links.