Prevention and management of osteoporosis.

Osteoporotic fractures are a growing public health issue. Prevention and management of osteoporosis are becoming increasing concerns especially as the number of individuals reaching old age continues to grow, euphemistically "as the baby boomers come of age." Identification of those individuals who are at an increased risk for fracture is important for planning and implementing proper prevention and management strategies. Although diagnostic tools are available for identifying decreased bone density and effective therapies exist for treatment of existing disease, clinical guidelines based on cost-effective approaches are still needed to more accurately identify which patients would benefit from early intervention (either prevention or treatment).