Aetiologies of male osteoporosis: identification procedures.

Secondary causes and risk factors assume far greater importance in male osteoporosis than in female osteoporosis. The principal problem in dealing with male osteoporosis, above all in young men, is the difficulty to find a curable aetiology. Six groups of aetiologies can be drawn up: toxic causes or causes due to a change in the general state of health, drug-induced causes, renal causes, hormonal causes, exceptional causes and lastly the idiopathic form. The minimum number of investigations necessary so as to be quite sure not to overlook these various aetiologies is proposed.