title: Role of biochemical markers in the management of osteoporosis.
abstract: Several serum and urine biochemical markers of bone resorption and formation have been developed. Biochemical bone markers have been used as intermediate end-points in all major studies of anti-osteoporotic therapies. Bone resorption markers, in particular, may add an independent, predictive value to the assessment of bone loss and fracture risk. There are also potential advantages in monitoring anti-osteoporotic treatment in the short-term in addition to bone densitometry, to rapidly identify non-responders to therapy, or non-compliance. Despite these recent advances, until now bone markers have simply been very useful research tools, with their clinical utility being limited by intra-individual and diurnal variability. However, the probability of the true bone mineral density response to hormone replacement therapy for the individual patient may be predicted using algorithms based on a spectrum of cut-off bone marker levels with varying false positive and negative rates. Thus, the transition of biochemical bone markers into everyday clinical practice may be rapidly approaching.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, 3050, Australia.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Ebeling
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akesson
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D001862:Bone Resorption / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers