Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal diseases characterized
by a low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration
of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone
fragility and susceptibility to fracture1
. Osteoporosis
affects mainly postmenopausal women but also men, in
either primary or secondary forms. Osteoporotic fractures,
which represent the most relevant clinical aspects of
the disease, occur in the hip, vertebrae, and distal radius.
The main osteoporotic fractures differ in their mode of
presentation. Whereas hip and radial fractures constantly
come to the clinical attention, vertebral fractures have
variable clinical presentation, in the sense that the
majority of them are asymptomatic. Fractures of the hip
incur the largest direct costs for health services, and occur
in the elderly, particularly women, and give rise to
substantial morbidity and mortality. Osteoporotic fractures
of the vertebrae and forearm are of less economic
significance, but also give rise to significant morbidity.
Vertebral fractures, that are also more common in women
than in men, are strongly related to age but appear earlier
when compared to the hip fractures. The consequences of
vertebral fractures include back pain and disability,
kyphosis and height loss. Vertebral fractures cause a
significant decrease in the quality of life, although the
impact is less than that of hip fractures. Quality of life
becomes progressively impaired as the number and
severity of vertebral fractures increases. Future risk of
osteoporotic fractures is greatly increased in patients with
vertebral fractures.