Effects of alcohol abuse on bone.

The relationship between bone disease and alcohol abuse is well established. A large percentage of individuals whose drinking habits have caused them to seek medical help can be diagnosed, with routine X-rays, as having bone disease. The degree to which bone disease is present in the overall drinking population remains uncertain. The predominant form of bone disease is osteoporosis, and it seems likely that most osteoporosis in the middle-aged man can be attributed to alcohol abuse. The reason alcohol abuse leads to osteoporosis remains unclear. Vitamin D deficiency, hyperparathyroidism, and decreased intestinal calcium absorption may play a role, but a direct inhibitory effect of alcohol on bone remodeling seems a more likely explanation. No effective form of treatment has yet been established. Bone lost may not be regained. The best approach is to stop the alcohol abuse before the bone disease becomes manifest.