Pathophysiology of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a classical age-related disease that affects women more often than men. The hypothesis that osteoporosis is a consequence of estrogen deficiency, has been proposed as early as 1941 by Albright and colleagues. The exact mechanisms of this steroid hormone deficiency in postmenopausal women as well as in the elderly men are continuously being unraveled. Collectively, estrogen deficiency has direct as well as indirect impacts on bone metabolism all of which promote osteoclastogenesis. This review aims at shedding light on the endocrine and osteoimmunological mechanisms that lead to involutional osteoporosis.
Sipos
Wolfgang
W
Medical Clinic II, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria. wolfgang.sipos@vu-wien.ac.at
Pietschmann
Peter
P
Rauner
Martina
M
Kerschan-Schindl
Katharina
K
Patsch
Janina
J
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004967:Estrogens / Q000172:deficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013552:Swine
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D004967:Estrogens