Anti-osteoporotic drugs and vascular calcification: the bidirectional calcium traffic.

During the last years, numerous epidemiological studies have demonstrated a direct relationship between vascular calcification and low bone mineral density. This observation is in line with experimental data demonstrating the osteogenic characteristics of calcified arteries. Various common risk factors have been suggested to link vascular calcification and bone loss, including aging, estrogen deficiency, vitamin D and K deficiency, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, smoking, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Although the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms are not yet clear, current research is focusing on anti-osteoporotic agents that could potentially affect the deposition of calcium in the arterial wall and thus provide an additional therapeutic strategy in elderly osteoporotic women prone to calcific cardiovascular disease.