[Principles in the therapy of osteoporosis. 2. Therapy]

"Osteoporosis" is no disease by itself, but solely an anatomically equal result of various etiologic and pathogenetic influences on the bone structure or parts of same. A therapeutic effect and prognosis are dependent on these conditions to a considerable extent. Practically, it is therefore of paramount importance to distinguish between various clinical pictures of osteoporosis as well as to separate them from hypostotic changes of the skeleton. No more than a single type of "osteoporosis" exists, a uniform treatment can be applied. Cause and extent of the change, age and sex of the afflicted, individual complaints and complications determine the therapeutic procedure in every case. Jointly, all efforts tend to stop the decrease of the bone tissue inherent in the porosity, and to achieve, whenever possible, a compensatory increase of the bone structure still remaining by stimulation of the osteopoiesis.