Understanding and managing secondary osteoporosis

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The term secondary osteoporosis (SO) identifies a reduction of bone mass related to a well-established disease or pharmacological agent. The identification of the underlying disease often represents a challenging situation in clinical practice.Areas covered: The prevalence of SO in the real world may vary, ranging from 17% to 80%; therefore, search for a form of SO represents a pillar when evaluating patients with osteoporosis. Guidelines for treatment of specific secondary forms of osteoporosis, such as glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, have been published even though often neglected in clinical practice. For the majority of SO, there are currently no specific guidelines concerning treatment with only few trials showing the effect of bone-active drugs on fracture risk reduction.Expert opinion: Healthcare professionals should be aware of the secondary forms of osteoporosis, in particular when the reason for reduced skeletal resistance is uncertain or when bone mineral density resu...