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Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators pp 237–243Cite as

Estrogen and the Skeleton

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Part of the book series: Contemporary Endocrinology ((COE))

Abstract

The crucial role of estrogen in the normal growth and development of the skeleton in girls has been known for decades. Recent case reports in men with estrogen-receptor deficiency (1) or deficiency of aromatase enzyme (2) have underscored an equally important role for estrogen in skeletal development in boys. The role of declining ovarian estrogen production in bone loss in women has been well documented since the initial hypothesis of Albright in the 1940s (3). Several recent studies have now pointed out a potential important role for estrogen in the age-related bone loss in men (4,5). Important studies in the last several years have provided insight into possible mechanisms underlying these clinical observations, particularly the role of estrogen in modulating local cytokine production in skeletal tissue (6). The finding of estrogenreceptor beta (ERβ) as the dominant estrogen receptor in bone (7) answers many questions regarding the previously documented low estrogen-receptor density in this clearly estrogen-dependent tissue. Increasingly sophisticated assays for measurement of circulating estrogen levels in very low concentrations has shed new light on these issues (8).

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Authors
  1. Michael Kleerekoper MD, FACE
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  2. Ashish Verma MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

    Andrea Manni MD  & Michael F. Verderame PhD  & 

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© 2002 Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

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Kleerekoper, M., Verma, A. (2002). Estrogen and the Skeleton. In: Manni, A., Verderame, M.F. (eds) Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators. Contemporary Endocrinology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-157-2_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-157-2_13

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-9665-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-157-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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