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Current Osteoporosis Reports

, Volume 17, Issue 1, pp 1–7 | Cite as

Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis: New Insights into the Pathophysiology and Treatments

  • Nancy E. LaneEmail author
Therapeutics and Medical Management (S Jan de Beur and B Clarke, Section Editors)
First Online:
Part of the following topical collections:
  1. Topical Collection on Therapeutics and Medical Management

Abstract

Purpose of this Review

The goal of the review is to provide an updated understanding of the pathophysiology of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis and treatment recommendations.

Recent Findings

Glucocorticoids reduce osteoblast and osteocyte lifespan and activity and reduce the vascularity of the bone that together may explain the greater reductions in bone strength than those of bone mass. Treatments with parathyroid hormone fragments appear to reverse glucocorticoid-induced bone loss and fracture risk partially through maintaining bone vascularity and bone strength.

Summary

This review identifies how glucocorticoid anti-osteogenic and vascular effects together may reduce bone strength. It also provides guidance to clinicians on rationale treatment for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Keywords

Glucocorticoids Bone cells Bone vascularity Osteonecrosis Parathyroid hormone 
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Notes

Compliance with Ethical Standards

Conflict of Interest

Nancy Lane reports having a patent (LLP2A-ale) issued.

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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© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Center for Musculoskeletal HealthUniversity of California at Davis Health SystemSacramentoUSA

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