Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2015) 37 S5.2 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.37.S5.2

KU Leuven, leuven, Belgium.


Osteoporosis is still considered a postmenopausal disease. Nevertheless, about one out of three of all hip fractures occur in elderly men. Hip fractures in elderly men are also associated with considerable morbidity as well as excess mortality. However, the majority of men suffering from senile osteoporosis are still underdiagnosed and undertreated. In 2012 the endocrine society has therefore formulated practical clinical guidelines for the diagnosis as well as treatment of osteoporosis in men.

During this presentation, a clinical case history will be discussed and the practical use of these endocrine society guidelines illustrated. Similar to postmenopausal women, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) should be used in order to diagnose osteoporosis in elderly men at risk for osteoporosis. In line with this recommendation, elderly men should have DXA screening following fractures. Some controversies with respect to use of DXA in men still exists with respect to reference values (male or female) as well as site of evaluation (femoral neck only or also, total hip and/or lumbar spine). The use of different diagnostic criteria for male osteoporosis may also identify different numbers of elderly men that are candidates for drug treatment. Secondary osteoporosis should also excluded in elderly men clinically as well as by laboratory testing Laboratory evaluation as proposed by the Endocrine society includes the measurement of serum testosterone. Besides prolonged use of glucocorticoids and alcohol excess, male hypogonadism remains one of the important cause of secondary osteoporosis. Unfortunately, recent studies show that even the majority of men with androgen deprivation still do not receive pharmacological treatment. The same holds true for men that experienced a hip fracture. Pharmacological treatment modalities for elderly men are similar to those used in postmenopausal women despites the limited number of studies in men that have used fractures as an endpoint. Men with low or borderline testosterone with a high fracture risk should also receive pharmacological treatment that prevent against fractures.

Article tools

My recent searches

No recent searches.

My recently viewed abstracts

Authors