Bone metabolism

In the Western World, approx. 8 –10 % of the population suffer from osteoporosis – often without knowing it since initially the symptoms are interpreted as normal symptoms of old age. The number of undiagnosed patients with osteoporosis-related fractures is estimated to be about 40 % (Source: current Emnid study).

Osteoporosis is diagnosed too rarely, so that only 30 % of the women suffering from osteoporosis are adequately treated (Source: World Osteoporosis Day 2008).
The increasing number of drugs available for treatment of bone diseases requires the use of more rapid and predictive methods to assess therapy efficacy. While detectable and significant changes in bone mineral density (BMD) take 18 to 24 months to develop, bone turnover markers have been shown to detect changes in bone tissue within 3 – 6 months after starting anti-resorptive therapy.

Therefore, measurement of bone turnover markers is increasingly recommended as a key component of therapy management.