Osteoporosis, estrogens Vitamin

Age, calcium intake, hormonal status, exercise and vitamin status have all been implicated in the development of osteoporosis. Estrogen levels represent an important factor in skeletal calcium retention and homeostasis. In therapeutic trials in which post-menopausal women were given daily doses of estrogens, such therapy has been demonstrated to be partially effective in reducing the rate of bone resorption. However, this therapy has the concomitant hazard of endometrial cancer (10). Vitamin D and its hormones have been given considerable attention in the more recent studies. Without adequate dietary and tissue levels of such vitamins, calcium absorption and bone status will be impaired. 

Based on limited epidemiologic evidence, fluoride supplements, with or without calcium, estrogen and vitamin D, are used by clinicians for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, knowledge of the effects of fluoride on calcium and phosphorus metabolism in normal animals is limited although Spencer et al. (32) reported that ingestion of fluoride by three osteoporotic men did not affect calcium absorption but caused a decrease in urinary excretion. Moreover, there is a need to determine the long-term effects of fluoride treatment on bone strength and on soft tissues ( ). 

Post-menopausal 10 mg qd with 8 oz water remain upright for 1 hour indicated for osteoporosis when estrogen is contraindicated supplement calcium, vitamin D. 

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis 5 mg once daily. For postmenopausal women not receiving estrogen, the recommended dose is 10 mg once daily. Patients also should receive adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D. 

Alternatives to steroid hormone therapy for osteoporosis include raloxifene, bisphosphonates, sodium fluoride, vitamin D and calcium supplementation, calcitonin, and parathyroid hormone. Tamoxifen has estrogenic effects on bone and delays bone loss in postmenopausal women. However as a result of estrogenic activity in the uterus, long-term tamoxifen administration has been associated with an increased risk of... 

The role of estrogens in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis has been carefully studied (see Chapter 42). The amount of bone present in the body is maximal in the young active adult in the third decade of life and begins to decline more rapidly in middle age in both men and women. The development of osteoporosis also depends on the amount of bone present at the start of this process, on vitamin D and calcium intake, and on the degree of physical activity. The risk of osteoporosis is highest in smokers who are thin, Caucasian, and inactive and have a low calcium intake and a strong family history of osteoporosis. Depression also is a major risk factor for development of osteoporosis in women. 

Osteoporosis Generalized bone demineralization often associated with effects of aging and hormonal changes in postmenopausal women Calcium supplements, vitamin D, calcitonin, bisphosphonates, intermittent parathyroid hormone, estrogen, or SERMs (raloxifene] (see Chapter 30]... 

Osteoporosis prevention remains an approved indication for estrogen-based hormone therapy, but alternative strategies are available and should be considered as first-line agents for asymptomatic women. Vitamin D deficiency should be excluded before any other treatment is prescribed... 

Alendronate is currently the drug of choice to prevent osteoporosis in patients who must be maintained on steroids for their antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. The drug also decreases bone resorption during menopause and is sometimes favored in patients who are at risk for neoplasias if treated with sex hormones. Care must be taken with alendronate to avoid esophageal ulceration. Estrogen hormone replacement therapy +/- vitamin D also has proven value for slowing bone resorption in menopause, and increases in bone mass have been reported for combinations of estrogens with alendronate. 

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