Premenopausal osteoporosis: how to treat?

Abstract

There is no agreement in defining osteoporosis in premenopausal women and diagnosis must be done carefully and not based on densitometric parameters. One must take into account the presence of other risk factors and history of fragility fractures, diseases or drugs that cause bone loss. Over 50% of premenopausal women with osteoporosis will have a secondary cause, with the remainder diagnosed with idiopathic osteoporosis. Therapeutic considerations are limited by a few studies in this group of patients, especially in regard to the risk of fractures. On the other hand, the FRAX index cannot be applied to premenopausal women. This article will review the measures to apply depending on the type of premenopausal osteoporosis, based on current scientific evidence.