PREVENTION AND OSTEOPOROSIS MANAGEMENT

BACKGROUND Primary osteoporosis affects one in four women over the age of 65 and reflects lifelong processes and trends. SUMMARY Skeletal bo ne constantly repairs the microscopic damage it sustains as a result o f the normal activities of living. Women achieve their maximum bone de nsity by the close of adolescence. Hereditary, nutritional, hormonal, and life-style factors affect the process of osteoporosis. Bone densit ometry can detect very small deficits long before losses become clinic ally apparent. Intervention can halt osteoporosis at any point and per haps increase bone density, but no known therapy can restore the norma l bone architecture once it is lost.