Endocrine Causes of Secondary Osteoporosis in Adults: Mechanisms and Evaluation

Osteoporosis and fragility fractures are a major public health issue. Secondary osteoporosis is characterised by the presence of an underlying disease, deficiency, or use of a drug. Conditions that increase speculation for secondary osteoporosis include fragility fractures amongst the younger men or premenopausal women, markedly decreased Bone Mineral Density (BMD) values, and fractures despite conforming to anti-osteoporotic therapy. Since the emphasis is on the treatment of the primary disorder, a diagnosis of osteoporosis and thus the opportunity of preventive intervention can be missed. With this review, the authors objective is to emphasise the importance of secondary osteoporosis, discuss the causes and their mechanism and summarise treatment options.