[Revised osteoporosis diagnostic criteria and Japanese practice guideline on osteoporosis]

In 1995, the Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Metabolism established the osteoporosis diagnostic criteria. The Committee revised those criteria twice and a revised edition was made based on the new findings in 2012. The major difference between the new criteria and the criteria from the year 2000 revision is that cases for which either pre-existing vertebral or proximal femoral fractures are present shall be classified as osteoporosis regardless of bone mineral density. The first Japanese practice guideline on osteoporosis was published in 1998. It has been updated several times, with the most recent being the full-scale 2011 edition and its abridged edition. Key changes are revision of the criteria for initiation of pharmaceutical treatment, along with an introduction of the fracture risk factors used in FRAX®, inclusion of newly developed drugs, and revision of the recommendation grades for pharmaceutical treatment of osteoporosis.