Endocrine Abstracts

In common with other chronic conditions, persistence with treatment for osteoporosis is poor, with fewer than 50% of patients continuing treatment by 12 months. Reasons for this are multifactorial; treatment does not lead to symptomatic benefit, may be difficult to take and can cause adverse effects. Furthermore, poor compliance may not be overt and may be unintentional. Monitoring an individual’s response to treatment can identify those with subopt...

Oral bisphosphonate therapy provides the usual first line approach to the treatment of osteoporosis and is associated with relative reduction in fracture risk of approximately 50% at the spine, 30% at the proximal femur and up to 20% at peripheral sites. Fracture risk reduction is maintained over 5 years of treatment and there are data confirming continued efficacy of treatment for up to 10 years in individuals at high fracture risk. Prolonged bisphosphonate treatment has, how...

Oral bisphosphonate therapy provides the usual first line approach to the treatment of osteoporosis and is associated with relative reduction in fracture risk of approximately 50% at the spine, 30% at the proximal femur and up to 20% at peripheral sites. Fracture risk reduction is maintained over 5 years of treatment and there are data confirming continued efficacy of treatment for up to 10 years in individuals at high fracture risk. Prolonged bisphosphonate treatment has, how...

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) forms an important component of fracture risk assessment. The objective of the report is to enable confident management by the non-expert recipient. A good report summarises the relevant information, provides a clear clinical interpretation and may also provide detailed management recommendations or refer to agreed management protocols. It needs to achieve a balance between over-simplification and inclusion of unnecessary detail.<p cl...

Osteoporosis is characterised by compromised bone strength leading to an increased risk of fracture. Many lifestyle factors are known to affect bone strength and moreover, may further affect fracture risk through modification of the risk of falling. Bone mineral density (BMD) is a major determinant of bone strength and reflects peak bone mass and subsequent rates of bone loss, both of which are influenced by lifestyle factors. Peak bone mass is a strongly heritable trait but m...

The injectable contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA, Depo-Provera®) is used by over nine million women worldwide. It induces amenorrhoea, raising concern about effects on bone density. This study aims to ascertain if the skeletal effects of DMPA are age-specific and to identity the mechanisms through which DMPA acts on the skeleton. The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee. We recruited 100 pairs of women ages 18–25 and 35&#150...