Abstract
Osteoporotic fractures dramatically reduce the quality of life and increase the morbidity and mortality rates following vertebral and proximal femoral fractures. The goal of osteoporosis treatment is to reduce the risk of fractures and enhance the quality of life in fracture patients.
Pharmacotherapy for osteoporosis should be considered in patients with a significant risk of osteoporotic fractures. To assess the individual risk of osteoporotic fractures within the following ten years, it is recommended to use the FRAX algorithm that evaluates additional, bonedensity independent risk factors for fracture (age, previous fractures, fractures in parents, toxic effects, glucocorticoid treatment, rheumatoid arthritis, and other causes of secondary osteoporosis).
When choosing the drug in a particular patient, it is necessary to consider, in addition to the likelihood of sustaining a fracture and the aetiology of osteoporosis, the mechanism of action of the drug on the bone and other tissues, its long-term safety, and the patient's willingness to remain on long-term treatment. Antiresorptive (anticatabolic) drugs effectively prevent bone loss and microarchitectural deterioration; however, they do not promote new bone formation.
Osteoanabolic drugs, promoting new bone formation and increasing bone volume, are useful in patients with severe osteoporosis or in cases where antiresorptive therapy has failed or in those with low osteoblast activity, e.g. in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a chronic disease and the treatment is a long-term one.
Ensuring good compliance and having patients remain on treatment long term is therefore an essential prerequisite for successful treatment. Providing adequate calcium and vitamin D intake, regular physical activity, and other measures taken to improve muscle strength and coordination and reduce the risk of falls are all required for complete efficacy of each drug therapy.