Abstract
Low-trauma fractures in young adults are most often the result of secondary osteoporosis. Less frequently, the cause of fractures or low bone mineral density (BMD) is a monogenic disease with delayed manifestation in adulthood (e.g. osteogenesis imperfecta) or idiopathic osteoporosis.
Low BMD alone may reflect a physiologically low peak bone mass in otherwise healthy individuals and does not mean an increased risk of fractures. For clinical practice, it is important to rule out the secondary causes of osteoporosis and other metabolic or cancer induced bone diseases.
Treatment should be causal. Anti-osteoporotic treatment is indicated if causal measures are insufficient or cannot be provided, e.g., in osteoporosis induced by chemotherapy or long-term treatment with glucocorticoids.