As the population ages, the prevalence of osteoporosis is increasing worldwide. Care of osteoporotic patients is in the hands of endocrinologists, rheumatologists, geriatricians, primary care physicians, and even physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The field of osteoporosis is evolving rapidly, with new agents, diagnostic methods, and management options being added every day. New data are being published monthly, and for clinicians busy in their practices it is challenging to find the luxury of time to learn these new developments.
Osteoporosis A Guide for Clinicians presents the disease in a comprehensive yet palatable and easily digestible form for busy clinicians, fellows, residents, and students. It delves into all aspects of the disease, from pathophysiology to diagnosis and management. Separate chapters have been devoted to vitamin D deficiency and workup and recognition of secondary causes of bone loss, because these are very important aspects in treating patients successfully. Two chapters focus on future agents on the horizon for osteoporosis and tailoring therapy to specific patient populations. We have also included real patient cases from our clinics and emphasized teaching points for each of the cases.
As an added bonus, we have annotated most of the references so that anyone interested in learning more about the studies mentioned in the text will have easy access to the research methodology, results, and conclusions. To our knowledge, this is the first osteoporosis book that has done this.
After reading Osteoporosis, the clinician should have a good understanding of the disorder and should feel comfortable treating it and implementing the appropriate workup and follow-up. We hope that this book will be a valuable tool in providing excellent osteoporosis care in clinics and will help individuals in teaching institutions in disseminating knowledge about the disease to their colleagues and trainees.
