Osteoporosis: A quick update

Abstract

Researchers estimate that approximately 10.2 million Americans have osteoporosis, and an additional 43 million have low bone density. Equally stark are the ramifications of these numbers. About one out of every 2 Caucasian women will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture at some point in their lifetime, as will approximately one in 5 men. Family physicians can have a meaningful impact on the extent to which this condition affects the population. To that end, we have put together a brief summary of the screening recommendations to keep in mind and a comparison of the different agents used to treat and prevent osteoporosis.