Family History of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis represents a major public health problem. Family history of osteoporosis is associated with osteopenia and increased risk of fractures. The aim of this book is to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of osteoporosis as well as to aid in developing new strategies for prevention. This book examines the independent contributions of maternal and paternal history of osteoporosis to bone health. Whether or not knowledge of parental history of osteoporosis is helpful for the prevention of bone loss is addressed. This book also aims to report on estimates of heritability in women and male and female child pairs. Heritability for bone density in mother-daughter pairs is compared to mother-son pairs. In addition, the role of hereditary osteoporosis on bone mass of a unique cohort of Asian adolescents in China, who were matched for several known non-genetic factors but differed with regard to reported family history of osteoporosis, is reported. This book concludes by summarising the recent literature on the association between stress fractures and family history of osteoporosis, by proposing a pathogenetic model for stress fractures, and by noting the implications for clinicians and indications for future research.