Dr Alun Hughes

what drug can cause an increase risk of fracture by 2-3x?

chronic corticosteroid therapy

• Explain the changes in bone structure and function that occur with osteoporosis

bone structure can change as you age, as you reach osteoporosis you usually change to having more osteoclast activity than osteoblast activity which causes a degradation in collagen fibres

• Understand the prevalence of osteoporosis and associated risk of fractures in the population

osteoporosis usually affects older woman who have gone through menopause, this is because the drop in oestrogen levels can cause more brittle bones as it upregulates the activity of osteoclasts which break down bone. at this point osteoclasts outregulate osteoblasts which causes more breakdown that build up of bone leading to osteoporosis.

• List the main risk factors for osteoporosis and how they influence bone health

race and ethnicity is a factor

prevalence is 50% lower in black Americans than white.