New treatments for osteoporosis

Eight million women have osteoporosis, and some may not even know they have it. This notoriously "silent disease" often goes unnoticed until a simple bump or fall causes a bone to break or fracture.

Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1 million fractures every year, which typically occur at the hip, spine and wrist. These fractures can have devastating consequences, including considerable pain and disability, and sometimes even death.

Now is the time to protect against the lifethreatening consequences of osteoporosisrelated bone fractures. Understanding osteoporosis, its prevention and new developments in treatment is an important first step in protecting overall bone health.

Dr. Felicia Cosman, professor of clinical medicine, Columbia University, answers questions about osteoporosis.

•Can osteoporosis be prevented? Unfortunately, it is difficult to completely rebuild bone once it is weakened by osteoporosis. However, preventative measures can help reduce bone loss at any stage in life. These include getting enough calcium and vitamin D through food or vitamins, engaging in regular weightbearing activities and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

In addition, regular bone mineral density tests are important to help detect whether one has osteoporosis before a fracture occurs as well as to predict the future likelihood of breaking a bone.

•What's new in osteoporosis treatments? The goal of treatment is to strengthen bones, which in turn helps reduce the risk of fractures.

There are two main types of therapies a healthcare provider may recommend to treat osteoporosis: drugs that stop the loss of bone and drugs that promote the growth of bone.

Bisphosphonates are the most commonly prescribed treatment for osteoporosis. Until very recently most of these therapies required taking pills on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

These pills have to be taken on an empty stomach with a full glass of water first thing in the morning and require that one remains upright for 30 to 60 minutes. Due to the busy lives that many women lead, it can become difficult to remember to take these pills at the designated time.

Research shows more than half of women who take daily or weekly bisphosphonate pills stop treatment by the end of one year, which puts them at greater risk for breaking a bone. For women who only take these pills about half of the time, research shows they experience only a small benefit in preventing fractures as compared to taking the pills on a regular basis.

The FDA has recently approved the first and only onceyearly therapy for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Called Reclast injection, this therapy is given as a 15minute IV infusion by a healthcare professional, eliminating the need for daily, weekly or monthly pills and reminders.

Reclast has been shown to be effective in strengthening bones and protecting against all types of osteoporosisrelated fractures. However, Reclast may cause side effects. To find out if Reclast is right, speak to a healthcare provider.

For additional information, visit www.nof.org.

This story provided by North American Precis Syndicate Inc.