Abstract
The central role of oestrogen deficiency in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal bone loss and osteoporosis is well established. The association was first recognised by Fuller Albright in 1941 (Albright et al. 1941) and subsequently Aitken et al. (1973a) reported a reduction in metacarpal bone mass in women who had undergone oophorectomy before the age of 45 years, osteopenia developing within 3–6 years after operation. Hormone replacement therapy is the only treatment for osteoporosis in which prevention of bone loss and reduction in fracture rate in the spine, radius and hip has been definitively established. These considerations make it the therapy of choice in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in peri- and postmenopausal women but many questions remain unanswered.
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Compston, J.E. (1994). View of a Clinician: Sex Steroids and Osteoporosis. In: Ziegler, R., Pfeilschifter, J., Bräutigam, M. (eds) Sex Steroids and Bone. Ernst Schering Research Foundation Workshop, vol 9. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03043-1_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-03043-1_1
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