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Review
. 2021 Jul 5;10(13):3002.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10133002.

The Treatment Gap in Osteoporosis

Nazia Ayub  1 , Malak Faraj  2 , Sam Ghatan  3 , Joannes A A Reijers  4 , Nicola Napoli  2   5 , Ling Oei  3   6
Affiliations
Review

The Treatment Gap in Osteoporosis

Nazia Ayub et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Worldwide, there are millions of people who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, a bone disease that increases the risk of fracture due to low bone mineral density and deterioration of bone architecture. In the US alone, there are approximately ten million men and women diagnosed with osteoporosis and this number is still growing. Diagnosis is made by measuring bone mineral density. Medications used for the treatment of osteoporosis are bisphosphonates, denosumab, raloxifene, and teriparatide. Recently, romosozumab has been added as well. In recent years, a number of advances have been made in the field of diagnostic methods and the diverse treatment options for osteoporosis. Despite these advances and a growing incidence of osteoporosis, there is a large group being left undertreated or even untreated. This group of the under/untreated has been called the treatment gap. Concerns regarding rare side effects of the medications, such as osteonecrosis of the jaw, have been reported to be one of the many causes for the treatment gap. Also, this group seems not to be sufficiently informed of the major benefits of the treatment and the diversity in treatment options. Knowledge of these could be very helpful in improving compliance and hopefully reducing the gap. In this paper, we summarize recent evidence regarding the efficacy of the various treatment options, potential side effects, and the overall benefit of treatment.

Keywords: epidemiology; fracture; glucocorticoid; osteoporosis; pharmacological treatment; review; treatment gap.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of randomized control trials in osteoporosis treatments discussed in this review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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