Earlier detection of bone loss may be in future

Earlier detection of bone loss may be in future

“Right now, pain is usually the first indication that cancer is affecting bones. If we could detect it earlier by an analysis of urine or blood in high-risk patients, it could significantly improve their care,” Fonseca said.

science news: Menopause clinicians support new advice on steroid use (Corticosteroids/glucocorticoids)

Menopause clinicians support new advice on steroid use

 (Corticosteroids/glucocorticoids)


.............Dr Tobie de Villiers, President of the International Menopause Society (IMS), commented, "Bone loss is a concern for all women around the age of menopause, and especially for the almost 5% of postmenopausal women worldwide who take oral glucocorticoid therapy. The IMS encourages women to be aware of this potentially dangerous side-effect of therapy and to discuss what precautions can be taken with their doctors."
Continuing, Dr de Villiers said "The ovaries stop producing estrogen around the time of the menopause, meaning that women find that the risk of bone loss and osteoporosis increases. This is already difficult for many women to cope with, so we need to be especially careful that the medicines which women take for other conditions don't actually harm women's bones. Glucocorticoids are important and valuable medicines, but like all medicines they have side effects and their use must be customised and monitored. Women, especially women after their menopause, need to be more aware of the possibility of this serious side-effect. These guidelines are aimed at allowing national organisations to develop effectively."

abstract: Effects of vitamin E on bone turnover markers among US postmenopausal women.

Abstract

Increased oxidative stress and inflammation resulting from aging and declining estrogen levels can lead to increased bone loss in postmenopausal women. Alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, the two predominant isomers of vitamin E, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but their effects on bone metabolism have not been well studied in humans. We examined the associations between dietary and total (diet and supplements) alpha-tocopherol intake, serum alpha- and gamma-tocopherol levels and their ratio, and bone turnover markers (BTMs) among postmenopausal women aged ≥45 years........

open access: Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction After the Death of a Significant Person in One's Life - Clinical Perspective (study period 1989 and 1994/age/gender)

Background—Acute psychological stress is associated with an abrupt increase in the risk of cardiovascular events. Intense grief in the days after the death of a significant person may trigger the onset of acute myocardial infarction (MI), but this relationship has not been systematically studied.

"...... Although our study examines the MI risk associated with the loss of any significant person, our findings are consistent with prior studies showing that men are more vulnerable to the health consequences from bereavement than women¹⁵ and that younger bereaved people are more vulnerable than older bereaved people.² "

Zoledronic acid preserves bone mineral density in premenopausal women who develop ovarian failure due to adjuvant chemotherapy: Final results from CAL

Note: side effects

INTERPRETATION: ZA every 3 months is well tolerated and prevents rapid bone loss in premenopausal women that develop CIOF. Giving ZA with rather than 1 year after the start of adjuvant chemotherapy is the preferred sequence to prevent bone loss.

Emerging drugs for the management of cancer treatment induced bone loss; Expert Opinion on Emerging Drugs

Take home message: The very high rate of bone loss and the high incidence of fractures indicate that cancer patients at risk of CTIBL (cancer treatment induced bone loss) need to be carefully monitored and stratified for fracture risk. Although there is a strong evidence of efficacy in prevention of bone loss and reduction of fracture risk for many drugs approved for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) and male osteoporosis, for CTIBL there are actually no drugs approved for this indication.