Pocket Reference to Osteoporosis

Book excerpt: This book responds to the daily needs of all clinicians treating patients with osteoporosis and provides a key reference guide for any challenges that arise in clinical practice. This book also covers the genetics of the disease, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and current and upcoming treatment recommendations in accordance with the latest international guidelines. Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are greatly reduced, and as bones become more porous and fragile the risk of fracture increases greatly. It is one of the most common metabolic bone diseases globally with one in three women and one in five men at risk of an osteoporotic fracture, and can result in devastating physical, psychosocial, and economic consequences. However, in spite of this osteoporosis can often be overlooked and undertreated, thus there is a real need to raise awareness of this disease.