Osteoporosis: Background and Overview

Osteoporosis commonly occurs in elderly women and men and is characterized by compromised bone strength and quality. If left untreated, it can lead to fractures that are associated with significant morbidity and high health costs. Effective risk assessment as part of a thorough clinical evaluation is the key to detecting patients who have osteoporosis or those who are at risk for developing the disease. This article reviews the etiology and epidemiology of osteoporosis and its economic impact. It also presents the pathophysiology of the disease and the types of fractures associated with it. The various risk factors have been incorporated into effective risk assessment tools (eg, bone mineral density [BMD] testing and the World Health Organization's Fracture Risk Algorithm, or FRAX), which are discussed. The National Osteoporosis Foundation's recommendations for BMD testing for men and women, which provide a tool with which practitioners can evaluate bone status and to determine whether the patient may benefit from treatment, are also presented and discussed.