Shiraki Masataka
Research Institute and Practice for Involutional Diseases.
Nihon Rinsho. 2006 Sep;64(9):1597-604.
Osteoporosis is characterized by compromised bone strength, and the increased susceptibility to fractures that impair patient's quality of life and increase mortality constitutes a national burden in the aging society. The pathogenesis of osteoporosis has been recently astringent on estrogen deficiency that induces secondary metabolic changes such as calcium imbalance. Thus, the main research issue in osteoporosis has been turning to the mechanical basis of bone fractures. According to the definition of osteoporosis proposed by National Institutes of Health, bone strength reflects the integration of two components: the bone mass (bone mineral density) and bone quality. Of the two, bone mineral density (BMD) is known to be the major determinant of future fracture risk. In contrast, bone quality assessment has not been applied to clinical practice except for the measurement of bone turnover markers. The present paper reviewed the bone quality concepts and discussed the future potential research propositions.
骨质疏松症的特征是骨强度受损，而骨折易感性增加会损害患者的生活质量并增加死亡率，这在老龄化社会中构成了一项国家负担。骨质疏松症的发病机制最近已聚焦于雌激素缺乏，雌激素缺乏会引发诸如钙失衡等继发性代谢变化。因此，骨质疏松症的主要研究问题已转向骨折的力学基础。根据美国国立卫生研究院提出的骨质疏松症定义，骨强度反映了两个组成部分的综合：骨量（骨矿物质密度）和骨质量。在这两者中，骨矿物质密度（BMD）已知是未来骨折风险的主要决定因素。相比之下，除了测量骨转换标志物外，骨质量评估尚未应用于临床实践。本文回顾了骨质量概念并讨论了未来潜在的研究命题。
