Prevention and treatment of osteoporosis

Abstract

Osteoporosis is an age-related disorder characterized by a continuous decrease in the absolute bone mass and an increased susceptibility to fractures. It is the most common metabolic bone disease and the most common skeletal disorder in the world. In spite of a continuously increasing understanding of its pathophysiology and of the precise methods for the measurement of bone mineral content and density, our knowledge of osteoporosis remains incomplete, and its treatment is still not consistently satisfactory. The purpose of this article is to review the effectiveness of various therapeutic regimens for osteoporosis as well as to present methods for its prevention.