Osteopenia: debates and dilemmas.
Whether or not to use pharmacologic agents for primary prevention of fracture among elderly men and women with osteopenia is debated by clinicians. In this review we provide an update to enable better understanding and characterization of this population, including the prevalence of osteopenia, transitioning from osteopenia to osteoporosis, and clinically applicable tools for fracture risk assessment. We also emphasize the very limited evidence of the benefits and risks of anti-osteoporotic agents for this population for primary fracture prevention, and the need for future studies to guide clinical practice.
Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd, Ryals 230K, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA, jszhang@uab.edu.
Jie
J
Zhang
Sarah L
SL
Morgan
Kenneth G
KG
Saag
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods
D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents