Prevention and osteoporosis management.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Primary osteoporosis affects one in four women over the age of 65 and reflects lifelong processes and trends. SUMMARY: Skeletal bone constantly repairs the microscopic damage it sustains as a result of the normal activities of living. Women achieve their maximum bone density by the close of adolescence. Hereditary, nutritional, hormonal, and life-style factors affect the process of osteoporosis. Bone densitometry can detect very small deficits long before losses become clinically apparent. Intervention can halt osteoporosis at any point and perhaps increase bone density, but no known therapy can restore the normal bone architecture once it is lost. KEY POINTS: Women should maintain an adequate intake of calcium throughout their lifetime, especially during adolescence. Bone densitometry at the time of menopause detects preclinical osteoporosis and enables physicians to start therapy to preserve the bone structure.