Published in:
01-09-2003 | Original Article
The aging cortex: to crack or not to crack
Author:
Karl J. Jepsen
Published in:
Osteoporosis International
|
Special Issue 5/2003
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Excerpt
This article presents a general overview of age-related changes in the cortex of the human skeleton. Existing data from the literature are examined in the context of how changes in bone structure and bone quality contribute to age-related increases in fracture risk. We postulate that fragility fractures are preventable. Novel targets for diagnosis and treatment will benefit directly by solving both the engineering problem ("Why does bone become brittle with age and disease?") and the biological problem ("Why does bone become brittle with age and disease?"). This review addresses primarily the engineering problem. …