Biochemical markers of bone turnover:A review

Abstract

A vast number of fractures result from low energy trauma in elderly people, especially women. The etiology is multifactorial and apart from the propensity to fall, a low bone mass and poor bone quality contribute to the fracture susceptibility. A low bone mass in turn is due to alterations in bone turnover, both as a natural cause of age or induced by diseases affecting bone metabolism. In orthopedics, the treatment of fragile bone merits specific consideration, but that is true also of less common diseases affecting the bone, such as Paget's disease, osteopetrosis or multiple myeloma. Arthrosis and rheumatoid arthritis also cause changes in bone turnover and it is of value to obtain knowledge of metabolic and qualitative properties of the bone into which orthopedic implants are anchored. Therefore it is desirable to develop easily accessible methods to assess bone metabolism.