Osteoporosis management in post-menopausal women. 2012

E S Christenson, and X Jiang, and R Kagan, and P Schnatz
Department of ObGyn, Reading Hospital and Medical Center, Reading, PA, USA.

Osteoporosis is most prevalent in women over the age of 50 as the hormonal influence of estrogen on bone health dissipates with the onset of menopause. The progressive changes in bone structure, quality and density lead to pathological fractures and an increase in morbidity and mortality among menopausal women. This review will examine the 2010 North American Menopause Society (NAMS) position statement and other recent publications to summarize the data and combinations of therapies used to treat women 50 years or older with osteoporosis. To review the latest research and guidelines for osteoporosis management we performed a PubMed search using the parameters Linked to free full text, Humans, Female, Review, English, Middle Age (45-64 years and 45+ years), Age 65+ years, and published in the last five years. Articles were sorted by relevance and hand searching of these articles was done to further increase the yield. While a perfect treatment has yet to be discovered to completely cure this progressive disease, many breakthroughs have been made in order to prevent fractures and improve quality of life. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation are recommended for patients undergoing pharmacological treatment, however, trials looking at their effectiveness have mixed findings. Bisphosphonates are considered the first line therapy in the treatment of osteoporosis and reduce vertebral fractures by 40% to 70% and non-vertebral fractures by 20% to 35%. Calcitonin showed promise during early trials in 2000 with a 33% reduction in fractures but these results have not been replicated and this therapy is now relegated to a second line treatment. Teriparatide is recommended for patients with severe osteoporosis and has been shown to reduce vertebral fractures 65% and non-vertebral fractures 53%. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are another useful therapy resulting in a 55% reduction in vertebral fractures without any documented advantage when looking at non-vertebral fractures. The currently available SERMs for this indication include raloxifene, available in the USA, and bazedoxifene, in Europe. Estrogen is effective, with a 27% reduction in fractures, but often is reserved for concomitant use for other menopausal symptoms or in patients intolerant of other available osteoporosis therapies. The newly approved monoclonal antibody for osteoporosis treatment in postmenopausal women, denosumab, leads to a 68% and 19% reduction of vertebral and non-vertebral fractures, respectively. In conclusion, the 2010 NAMS position statement provides an excellent framework to discuss treatment options with patients. Lifestyle optimization should be the bedrock of any good treatment approach. When pharmacological intervention is warranted, many good therapies are available which have been shown to reduce the risk of fractures in osteoporotic patients. Any treatment plan, however, will be ineffective if the patient is not compliant. Therefore, a detailed discussion regarding each therapeutic intervention should ensue, including its usefulness and side effects.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D010349 Patient Compliance Voluntary cooperation of the patient in following a prescribed regimen. Client Adherence,Client Compliance,Non-Adherent Patient,Patient Adherence,Patient Cooperation,Patient Noncompliance,Patient Non-Adherence,Patient Non-Compliance,Patient Nonadherence,Therapeutic Compliance,Treatment Compliance,Adherence, Client,Adherence, Patient,Client Compliances,Compliance, Client,Compliance, Patient,Compliance, Therapeutic,Compliance, Treatment,Cooperation, Patient,Non Adherent Patient,Non-Adherence, Patient,Non-Adherent Patients,Non-Compliance, Patient,Nonadherence, Patient,Noncompliance, Patient,Patient Non Adherence,Patient Non Compliance,Patient, Non-Adherent,Therapeutic Compliances,Treatment Compliances
D002118 Calcium A basic element found in nearly all tissues. It is a member of the alkaline earth family of metals with the atomic symbol Ca, atomic number 20, and atomic weight 40. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and combines with phosphorus to form calcium phosphate in the bones and teeth. It is essential for the normal functioning of nerves and muscles and plays a role in blood coagulation (as factor IV) and in many enzymatic processes. Coagulation Factor IV,Factor IV,Blood Coagulation Factor IV,Calcium-40,Calcium 40,Factor IV, Coagulation
D004164 Diphosphonates Organic compounds which contain P-C-P bonds, where P stands for phosphonates or phosphonic acids. These compounds affect calcium metabolism. They inhibit ectopic calcification and slow down bone resorption and bone turnover. Technetium complexes of diphosphonates have been used successfully as bone scanning agents. Bisphosphonate,Bisphosphonates
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D015663 Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal Metabolic disorder associated with fractures of the femoral neck, vertebrae, and distal forearm. It occurs commonly in women within 15-20 years after menopause, and is caused by factors associated with menopause including estrogen deficiency. Bone Loss, Perimenopausal,Bone Loss, Postmenopausal,Perimenopausal Bone Loss,Postmenopausal Bone Loss,Postmenopausal Osteoporosis,Osteoporosis, Post-Menopausal,Bone Losses, Perimenopausal,Bone Losses, Postmenopausal,Osteoporoses, Post-Menopausal,Osteoporoses, Postmenopausal,Osteoporosis, Post Menopausal,Perimenopausal Bone Losses,Post-Menopausal Osteoporoses,Post-Menopausal Osteoporosis,Postmenopausal Bone Losses,Postmenopausal Osteoporoses
D017410 Practice Guidelines as Topic Works about directions or principles presenting current or future rules of policy for assisting health care practitioners in patient care decisions regarding diagnosis, therapy, or related clinical circumstances. The guidelines may be developed by government agencies at any level, institutions, professional societies, governing boards, or by the convening of expert panels. The guidelines form a basis for the evaluation of all aspects of health care and delivery. Clinical Guidelines as Topic,Best Practices,Best Practice

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