Genetics of osteoporosis
18.1 Introduction 18.1.1 Genetic diseases The concept of genetic risk for diseases has substantially evolved in the past decades from traits and diseases that run in families, to the current…
Skeletal heterogeneity and the purposes of bone remodeling: Implications for the understanding of osteoporosis
30.1 Introduction The cells of bone influence its structure by means of four processes: growth, repair, modeling, and remodeling, the last being the basis of bone tissue turnover in the…
Physical activity, exercise, and skeletal health
22.1 Physical activity across the life span for osteoporosis and fracture prevention Physical activity (PA) is vital for musculoskeletal health and an important component of osteoporosis and fracture prevention across…
Economics of osteoporosis
29.1 Introduction Osteoporosis is a costly, major global public health problem. In the United States (US), 10 million individuals have osteoporosis and another 44 million have low bone mass (or…
Cytokines and the pathogenesis of osteoporosis
33.1 Receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand, receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB, and osteoprotegerin Receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) ligand (RANKL) is tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily ligand 11…
Clinical and epidemiological studies: skeletal changes across menopause
24.1 Introduction Women spend about one-third of their life span in the postmenopausal period. Menopause represents a vulnerable time in a women’s life for a number of reasons, but in…
Imminent fracture risk and disability post fracture
28.1 Introduction The clinical significance of osteoporosis is in its outcome of fracture. Fracture is not a benign condition, particularly in the aging population where it occurs most frequently, and…
Adaptation of skeletal structure to mechanical loading
15.1 Introduction and background The mineralized bones of the skeleton are critical to load bearing and locomotion of vertebrates. The structure of the tissue within the bones is well suited…
Race, ethnicity, and osteoporosis
19.1 Introduction In this chapter, we first address some of the problems inherent in using a racial classification system for describing human variation. We then describe variations in bone and…
Reproductive and hormonal factors and the risk for osteoporosis
23.1 Introduction Risk of osteoporosis and fracture in older women is, in large part, related to the woman’s bone mineral density (BMD) ; however, the predisposition to osteoporosis and fracture…
