Bone/Mineral Metabolism News

The use of denosumab to treat osteoporosis has increased rapidly since its FDA approval in 2010, and it is now the second most used medication after alendronate, according to data presented at the ENDO annual meeting.

Founder of India’s first bone density and osteoporosis service, Ambrish Mithal, MD, DM, played a key role in establishing osteoporosis as a serious national health problem.

Black adults with an adequate vitamin D level were still significantly more likely to test positive for COVID-19 compared with Black adults with a vitamin D level of at least 40 ng/mL, data from a single-center study show.

Following short-term therapy with teriparatide plus denosumab with a single dose of zoledronic acid may prevent bone loss associated with denosumab cessation among postmenopausal women, according to a study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

The experience with fluoride made clear that increased BMD does not result in reduced fractures when the mineralization of bone is compromised. Therefore, good data on bone histology is a prerequisite for accepting BMD as a surrogate for fracture. Strontium increases BMD substantially, but this is significantly contributed to by the heavier strontium atoms replacing calcium in bone mineral. Thus, the increase in BMD does not reflect an increase in bone tissue volume, again dissociating BMD from bone strength.

Osteoporotic fractures represent a costly human and socioeconomic burden. Even with currently available drugs, treatments that more effectively increase bone mineral density, reduce fractures and reverse the disease are needed.

A model factoring in age, femoral neck width and lateral cortical width at lesser trochanter may be able to differentiate atypical vs. typical femur fractures in women, according to study data.

Defining hypothyroidism by thyroid-stimulating hormone level, researchers found the condition was more common in patients with worsening levels of kidney function (as determined by eGFR slope), as well as in those who had proteinuria.

Osteoporosis, long considered a disease of older age, is estimated to affect about 25% of women aged at least 65 years, according to the CDC.

The simultaneous use of oral glucocorticoids and proton pump inhibitors is associated with a 1.6-fold increased risk for osteoporotic fractures in patients aged 50 years and older with rheumatoid arthritis, according to data.