Current indications for prevention and therapy of steroid-iduced osteoporosis in men and women

Abstract

Steroid-induced osteoporosis is a textbook example of the secondary type of this medical condition. Glucocorticosteroids suppress bone formation by their direct and indirect effect on osteoblasts, osteoclasts and osteocytes, increasing their resorption and, eventually, leading to negative bone balance. A clinical problem arises regarding the fact that approximately 50% of patients on chronic steroid therapy undergo asymptomatic bone fractures. The treatment mode includes minimising the dose of administered steroids, encouraging an improved lifestyle and supplementation with adequate calcium and vitamin D3 doses. Bisphosphonates are a group of medical agents used both to prevent and treat steroid-induced osteoporosis, although new therapies have also become available in recent years. (Pol J Endocrinol 2011; 62 (1): 38-44)