title: Fracture prevention in postmenopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The lifetime risk of fracture in white women is 20% for the spine, 15% for the wrist, and 18% for the hip, with an exponential increase in risk beyond the age of 50 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of bisphosphonates to prevent fractures in postmenopausal women? What are the effects of pharmacological treatments other than bisphosphonates to prevent fractures in postmenopausal women? What are the effects of non-pharmacological treatments to prevent fractures in postmenopausal women? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to September 2010 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found 71 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: alendronate, calcitonin, calcium, calcium plus vitamin D, clodronate, denosumab, etidronate, exercise, hip protectors, hormone replacement therapy, ibandronate, multifactorial non-pharmacological interventions, pamidronate, parathyroid hormone, raloxifene, risedronate, strontium ranelate, vitamin D, vitamin D analogues, and zoledronate.
authors.affiliation: The Osteoporosis Clinic, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vestergaard
authors.forename: Leif
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mosekilde
authors.forename: Bente
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Langdahl
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D019386:Alendronate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012968:Etidronic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D017698:Postmenopause; D020849:Raloxifene Hydrochloride / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D002136:Calcium, Dietary; D020849:Raloxifene Hydrochloride; D012968:Etidronic Acid; D019386:Alendronate