Purpose of review: The aim of this review is to gain a better understanding of osteoporotic fractures and the different mechanisms that are driven in the scenarios of bone disuse due to spinal cord injury and osteometabolic disorders due to diabetes.
Recent findings: Despite major advances in understanding the pathogenesis, prevention, and treatment of osteoporosis, the high incidence of impaired fracture healing remains an important complication of bone loss, leading to marked impairment of the health of an individual and economic burden to the medical system. This review underlines several pathways leading to bone loss and increased risk for fractures. Specifically, we addressed the different mechanisms leading to bone loss after a spinal cord injury and diabetes. Finally, it also encompasses the changes responsible for impaired bone repair in these scenarios, which may be of great interest for future studies on therapeutic approaches to treat osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures.
Keywords: Bone loss; Diabetes; Osteoporosis; Osteoporotic fractures; Spinal cord injury.