Biochemical markers of bone remodeling in osteoporosis - current concepts

Abstract

Biochemical markers of bone remodeling have been developed over the past 20 years, which are more specific for bone tissue than the conventional ones. They have been widely used in clinical research and in the clinical trials of new therapies as secondary endpoints of treatment efficacy. Most of the interest has been devoted to their use in postmenopausal osteoporosis, a condition which is characterized by the subtle modification of bone metabolism that cannot readily be detected by conventional markers of bone turnover. Biochemical markers that reflect remodeling and can be measured in blood or urine include resorption markers (eg: pyridinoline, deoxypyridinoline, collagen cross links) and formation markers (eg: alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin). The new bone remodeling markers have been found to be more sensitive in 1) Monitoring bone loss 2) To see the antiresorptive treatment efficacy 3) To predict fracture risk.