dition can develop in association with other causes of ovarian failure.
Androgen insufficiency in men, although much less common, can also lead to osteoporosis (Gabby, 1994). Niewoehner (1993) reports that men are most at risk for hip fracture as they grow older because of age-related loss of bone in the femur. Men with low peak bone mass are more vulnerable than those who achieved a higher peak bone mass in early adulthood.
Vitamin deficiencies, according to Passeri (1980), can also play a role in osteoporosis; this is because of their importance in the metabolic processes of aging. Even slight vitamin deficiencies are said to cause a speed-up of general organism deterioration. Passeri states that low levels of vitamin D can be particularly contributive to the disorder because they cause a worsening of bone tissue and consequent demineralization.
Deal (1997) has discussed several risk factors associated with the development of osteoporosis. These include low calcium intake, vitamin D deficiency, and physical inactivity---all of which are amenable to early interventions that will help maximize peak bone density. Other risk factors are said to be cigarette smoking and excessive consumption of protein, caffeine, and alcohol. In addition, Deal (1997) states that, in an individual perimenopausal woman, the risk of osteoporotic fracture and the urgency of estrogen replacement therapy can be best estimated on the basis of bone mineral density, as measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, coupled with the presence or absence of existing fractures and clinical risk factors evident from the history and physical examination.
In an interesting new approach to osteoporosis, Ilich and Matkovic (1997) state that current research on osteoporosis suggests that it may have its roots during growth, and it should be treated as such. Thus, teenagers should be targeted as a population at risk, and they should take preventive me...