Abstract
Osteoporosis, the disease of aging, is a major health problem and its clinical end point: – Fracture is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Osteoporosis is a silent, relentlessly progressive disease that is best treated by early diagnosis and prevention. To elucidate the predictors of fracture proneness in patients with osteoporosis the following study was undertaken.
32 patients with fractures of the hip and spine due to osteoporosis were studied with a control group of 30 patients with osteoporosis but no fractures. Osteoporosis was established by using the gold standard: Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. Of the biochemical parameters studied lower values of, hemoglobin, total serum proteins & albumin, and alkaline phosphatase were found along with higher values for serum tartarate resistant acid phosphatase, urinary hydroxy proline and acid phosphatase, in the fracture group when compared with the non fracture group. It was inferred that biochemical parameters are reliable indicators of fracture proneness in patients suffering with osteoporosis and also that in the treatment of osteoporosis, anemia and hypoproteinemia must also be considered and corrected.
The abstracts were prepared by Professor Jegan Krishnan. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park 5047, Australia.
