Osteoporosis is a disease that diminishes the quality of life of many aging men and women. The low mineral density associated with this disease can make bones very fragile, which increases the susceptibility to fractures upon falls, or other traumas. Susceptibility to osteoporosis is determined by several environmental and genetic factors. Most of the environmental factors such as a healthy diet rich in calcium and other nutrients, physical activity, cessation of smoking, and moderation in alcohol and caffeine intake, can be easily controlled by the individual. Unfortunately, genetic factors cannot be easily manipulated, but with the successful completion of the Human Genome Project, several “osteoporosis genes” have been identified. Screening for and identification of such genes will allow health care providers to pinpoint and aggressively treat those individuals who are at a high risk as well as those who already have the disease. Also the development of safe, simple, and cost-effective diagnostic techniques to measure bone mineral density has allowed early and more effective intervention to control the progression of the disease process.; Our increased understanding of the molecular and physiological processes that control the bone remodeling process has allowed the development of drugs and therapeutic regimens that have proven to be effective. Drugs to treat osteoporosis can be divided into two categories or classes: those that decrease bone resorption by osteoclasts and those that increase bone formation by osteoblasts. Only antiresorptive drugs such as estrogen, selective estrogen receptor modulators, calcitonin, and bisphosphonates are currently approved for osteoporosis treatment. No bone formation drugs are currently approved, but there are a number of potential therapies including parathyroid hormone, fluoride, statins, and growth factors that are currently being evaluated by preclinical and clinical studies.
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