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NIH Drafts Consensus Statement on Osteoporosis Treatment

Wed, 04/26/2000 - 12:00am — Karen Stevenson
Description: 

A 3-day National Institutes on Health (NIH) Consensus Development Conference on Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy brought together national and international experts to present the latest research findings on osteoporosis, a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing to an increased risk of fracture.

The panel indicated that bone mass attained during childhood is the most important determinant of life-long skeletal health, and that achieving optimum bone mass early in life reduces the impact of bone loss related to aging. However, only 10% of girls and 25% of boys between ages 9 and 17 obtain an adequate amount of calcium in their diet. There is also strong evidence that physical activity early in life contributes to higher peak bone mass. Clinical trials have shown that exercise reduces the risk of falls by approximately 25%, and falls are a major cause of fractures in people with osteoporosis.

Although hormone replacement therapy remains a common treatment and prevention option, the panel suggested that more information is needed on how estrogen alone or in combination with other treatments reduces the incidence of fractures. Natural estrogens, such as plant-derived phytoestrogens, have thus far not been shown to reduce fractures. Within the last decade, new medicines to help prevent and/or treat osteoporosis have become available. Among the new classes of drugs are bisphosphonates and selective estrogen receptor modulators.

A 3-day National Institutes on Health (NIH) Consensus Development Conference on Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy brought together national and international experts to present the latest research findings on osteoporosis, a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing to an increased risk of fracture.

The panel indicated that bone mass attained during childhood is the most important determinant of life-long skeletal health, and that achieving optimum bone mass early in life reduces the impact of bone loss related to aging. However, only 10% of girls and 25% of boys between ages 9 and 17 obtain an adequate amount of calcium in their diet. There is also strong evidence that physical activity early in life contributes to higher peak bone mass. Clinical trials have shown that exercise reduces the risk of falls by approximately 25%, and falls are a major cause of fractures in people with osteoporosis.

Although hormone replacement therapy remains a common treatment and prevention option, the panel suggested that more information is needed on how estrogen alone or in combination with other treatments reduces the incidence of fractures. Natural estrogens, such as plant-derived phytoestrogens, have thus far not been shown to reduce fractures. Within the last decade, new medicines to help prevent and/or treat osteoporosis have become available. Among the new classes of drugs are bisphosphonates and selective estrogen receptor modulators.