Establishing healthy bones in the young.
Osteoporosis is uncommon in young adults and is usually attributable to underlying medical conditions. Doctors caring for patients with these conditions should assess bone mass and provide prophylaxis against bone loss where indicated. There are also identifiable risk factors for low bone mass in this age group which uncommonly lead to fractures in the short term but more importantly may predispose to fractures later in life. These include low body weight, amenorrhoea and smoking. Doctors should detect these problems in the course of routine patient care and provide appropriate advice.
Reid
I R
IR
Department of Medicine, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors