Long-term strategy in the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis.
The lifetime fracture risk at 50 years of age is about 50% in women and 20% in men. Osteoporotic fractures are associated with severe morbidity, increased mortality, quality-of-life alterations, and high management costs, most notably in the oldest age groups. The steady increase in life expectancy is matched by a rise in the absolute fracture risk. Effective prevention is therefore crucial. The goal of prevention, which must be not only effective, but also safe, is to diminish the risk of vertebral, peripheral, and hip fractures. Several medications were effective in double-blind controlled trials in which the fracture incidence was the primary endpoint. Long-term data are available to confirm the good safety profile of these medications.
Rizzoli
René
R
Division of Bone Diseases, WHO Collaborating Center for Osteoporosis Prevention, Department of Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva University Hospitals, 24 rue Micheli-du-Crest, CH - 1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland. rene.rizzoli@medecine.unige.ch
D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004035:Diet Therapy; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D011859:Radiography; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents