The following article is a review of current data on the available therapeutic agents and recommended approach to prevention and treatment of this disease of aging. The recent data on estrogen replacement as well as the introduction of newer agents may change how you treat patients with this problem. The current state of osteoporosis treatment is going thru a paradigm shift. Several new therapeutic agents are available. In addition, the role and the risks of estrogen replacement are changing as new data emerges.
Osteoporosis is truly a disease of modern medicine.
During the 1920 s women spent a very short time of there life post-menopausal. As 20th Century medicine extended life expectancy by more than 28 years, women began to experience more than a third of their lives post-menopausal. Therefore, women do not have the advantage to look to their mothers or grandmothers as to a role model behavior for this disease. There are multiple risk factors that predispose women to osteoporosis. Sedentary lifestyle Low bone density High bone turnover states These women need to be treated much more aggressively.