Author Description

With varying degrees of osteoporosis found in one of every four women older than 45 years of age and in nine out of ten women older than 75, as well as in men, osteoporosis is clearly a widespread disease with important health and economic impacts. It is also scientifically complex. In Osteoporosis: Pathophysiology and Clinical Management, leading clinicians and researchers join forces to illuminate in coupled chapters all the major scientific and clinical aspects of osteoporosis. By uniquely coupling basic and clinical chapters, the book illustrates the critical interdependence of investigators and practitioners. Traditional issues such as calcium supplementation and exercise are juxtaposed with state-of-the-art updates on molecular pharmacology and imaging. On the basic science side, topics range from the genetics of osteoporosis and bone turnover markers, to androgen action in bone, to the basic biology of estrogen and bone. On the clinical side the authors present the latest thinking about the use of bone densitometry in treatment, the use of vitamin D and its metabolites, and the clinical utilization of salmon calcitonin, as well as parathyroid and bisphosphonate therapies, SERMs, and other important treatments. Unique in its integration of basic science and clinical practice, Osteoporosis: Pathophysiology and Clinical Management reveals the great progress that has occurred in the field, providing basic scientists with a clear view of the clinical state-of-the-art, and practicing physicians with a deeper understanding of the complex biology involved.