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Osteopenia: Debates and Dilemmas

  • OSTEOPOROSIS AND METABOLIC BONE DISEASE (KG SAAG, SECTION EDITOR)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Whether or not to use pharmacologic agents for primary prevention of fracture among elderly men and women with osteopenia is debated by clinicians. In this review we provide an update to enable better understanding and characterization of this population, including the prevalence of osteopenia, transitioning from osteopenia to osteoporosis, and clinically applicable tools for fracture risk assessment. We also emphasize the very limited evidence of the benefits and risks of anti-osteoporotic agents for this population for primary fracture prevention, and the need for future studies to guide clinical practice.

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Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Jie Zhang has received research support from Amgen and Genentech. Sarah L. Morgan has served as a consultant for, and received honoraria from, Amgen. Kenneth G. Saag has served as a consultant for, received honoraria from, and had travel and/or accommodation expenses covered and/or reimbursed by Amgen, Eli Lilly and Company, and Merck and Company.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd, Ryals 230K, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA

    Jie Zhang

  2. Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 510 20th Street South, Faculty Office Tower 830, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Sarah L. Morgan & Kenneth G. Saag

Authors
  1. Jie Zhang
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  2. Sarah L. Morgan
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  3. Kenneth G. Saag
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kenneth G. Saag.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease

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Zhang, J., Morgan, S.L. & Saag, K.G. Osteopenia: Debates and Dilemmas. Curr Rheumatol Rep 15, 384 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-013-0384-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-013-0384-5

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