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Male Osteoporosis: Epidemiology and the Pathogenesis of Aging Bones

  • Epidemiology and Pathophysiology (Mone Zaidi and Jeffrey I. Mechanick, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Osteoporosis in men is an overlooked yet increasingly important clinical problem that, historically, has not received the same degree of awareness as with women. Epidemiologic studies demonstrate that male osteoporosis contributes significantly to the burden of osteoporotic fractures, especially among the aging population. In particular, men have increased morbidity and mortality associated with osteoporotic fractures compared with women. Diagnostic challenges of male osteoporosis include lack of consensus about appropriate reference ranges for identifying osteoporosis in men, and the lack of a fracture assessment tool in men necessary to identify those individuals at risk. Compared with women, changes that occur in the aging male skeleton include trabecular thinning, greater endocortical expansion, ongoing periosteal apposition with greater bending strength, and preserved minimum moment of inertia. Overall, men have less microstructural damage with aging and beneficial geometric adaptations that lead to stronger bones, compared with women, and thus their overall lower risk of fractures.

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Acknowledgements

M. Zaidi gratefully acknowledges research support from the National Institutes of Health (NIA and NIDDK).

Disclosure

Conflicts of interest: J.K. Lambert: none; M. Zaidi: has been a speaker and/or on the speakers’ bureaus for Amgen (and on the advisory board), Procter & Gamble, Roche and Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline (and a consultant), Warner Chilcott, and Novartis; has given expert testimony for Bowman and Brooke, Simes, and Venables; has two patents by Mount Sinai School of Medicine on FSH and TSH, only if they mature into a drug; has received payment for development of educational presentations including service on speakers’ bureaus for CME Education LLC; and has received travel/accommodations expenses covered or reimbursed from various CME programs at academic institutions; J.I. Mechanick: has been a consultant for Abbott Nutrition and Nestle Nutrition; has received grant support from Select Medical Corporation; has received honoraria from Abbott Nutrition and Nestle Nutrition; has received payment for development of educational presentations including service on speakers’ bureaus; and has received travel/accommodations expenses covered or reimbursed from Abbott Nutrition and Nestle Nutrition.

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  1. The Mount Sinai Bone Program and Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1055, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Jessica K. Lambert, Mone Zaidi & Jeffrey I. Mechanick

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  1. Jessica K. Lambert
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  2. Mone Zaidi
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Correspondence to Jessica K. Lambert.

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Lambert, J.K., Zaidi, M. & Mechanick, J.I. Male Osteoporosis: Epidemiology and the Pathogenesis of Aging Bones. Curr Osteoporos Rep 9, 229–236 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-011-0066-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-011-0066-z

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