[Recent diagnostic and therapeutic findings on postmenopausal and senile osteoporosis]

The incidence of osteoporosis in the West is considerable and its complications are such as to make it a common and disabling problem. Recent developments in the classification, pathogenesis and diagnosis of the disease are reported. Certain laboratory techniques have recently been developed that can provide adequate information about the degree of demineralisation present. Furthermore the accurate in vivo assessment of bone density is made possible by the development of double beam photon osteodensitometry that measures bone mineral content (BMC) with sensitivity and accuracy. On the treatment side, the various drugs available are reviewed with particular reference to estrogen, vitamin D, anabolisers (recently reassessed in radiogrammometric and densitometric studies) fluorides and calcitonin. Finally certain treatment protocols for post-menopausal and senile osteoporosis are proposed that should produce good results in a reasonably short space of time.