Osteoporosis historical perspective

Osteoporosis Microchapters
Home
Patient Information
Overview
Historical Perspective
Classification
Pathophysiology
Causes
Differentiating Osteoporosis from other Diseases
Epidemiology and Demographics
Risk Factors
Screening
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Diagnosis
History and Symptoms
Physical Examination
Laboratory Findings
Electrocardiogram
X-ray
CT
MRI
Echocardiography or Ultrasound
Other Imaging Findings
Other Diagnostic Studies
Treatment
Medical Therapy Life Style Modification Pharmacotherapy
Surgery
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy
Future or Investigational Therapies
Case Studies
Case #1
Osteoporosis historical perspective On the Web
Most recent articles
Most cited articles
Review articles
CME Programs
Powerpoint slides
Images
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Osteoporosis historical perspective All Images X-rays Echo & Ultrasound CT Images MRI
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse
NICE Guidance
FDA on Osteoporosis historical perspective
CDC on Osteoporosis historical perspective
Osteoporosis historical perspective in the news
Blogs on Osteoporosis historical perspective
Directions to Hospitals Treating Osteoporosis
Risk calculators and risk factors for Osteoporosis historical perspective

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Raviteja Guddeti, M.B.B.S. [2], Charmaine Patel, M.D. [3]

Overview

Osteoporosis was first discovered by John Hunter, British surgeon, in 1800's. He found that bones in human body are turning over, continuously; when some old or dysfunctioned bone tissue become eroded and eliminated, the new fully functioned one being substituted. Nowadays, the process is called remodeling, the most important issue in osteoporosis pathophysiology. Jean Lobstein, a French pathologist of 1830's, found that there are normal holes in every bones; but some people's bones from specific age and diseases may have larger holes than normal ones. He eventually named theses kinds of bones as porous; thus the disease became called osteoporosis.

Historical Perspective

Here is the diagram that shows the historical perspective of osteoporosis during decades, at a glance.

Dowager's hump in Egyptian mummies 4000 years ago                                                                                                                           Osteoporosis discovered by: John Hunter, British surgeon in: 1800's                                   Osteoporosis name coined by: Jean Lobstein, French pathologist in: 1830's                                   Age-related bone loss defined by: Astley Cooper, English surgeon in: 1830's                                                                       Postmenopausal bone loss defined by: Fuller Albright, American endocrinologist in: 1940's       Postmenopausal osteoporosis treated with estrogen by: Fuller Albright, American endocrinologist in: 1940's                                                                     Bone densitometers developed by: Norman, American researcher in: 1950                                   Bisphosponates discovered by: Herbert Fleisch, Switzerland physiologist in: 1960's                                   Osteoporosis publicized by: National Institute of Health (NIH) in: 1984                                   Specific cytokines that influence osteoclasts activity discovered in: 1990's                                   T-score used to classify and define bone mineral density (BMD) by: world health organization (WHO) in: 1994                                   Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) entered Market in: 1998                                   Expert panel for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis assembled by: National Institute of Health (NIH) in: 2000

Osteoporosis was first discovered by John Hunter, British surgeon, in 1800's. He found that bones in human body are turning over, continuously; when some old or dysfunctioned bone tissue become eroded and eliminated, the new fully functioned one being substituted. Nowadays, the process is called remodeling, the most important issue in osteoporosis pathophysiology. Jean Lobstein, a French pathologist of 1830's, found that there are normal holes in every bones; but some people's bones from specific age and diseases may have larger holes than normal ones. He eventually named theses kinds of bones as porous; thus the disease became called osteoporosis.

Bone with holes, osteoporosis, is seen in over 4000 years old Egyptian mummies; showed the revealing sign of osteoporosis called "Dowager's hump".

Many developments have been made in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis over the years; however, osteoporosis remains a significant challenge within the field of medicine.

The link between age-related reductions in bone density and fracture risk goes back to Astley Cooper; and the term "osteoporosis", recognition of its pathological appearance in the 1830's is generally attributed to the French pathologist, Lobstein.

The American endocrinologist, Fuller Albright from Massachusetts General Hospital, linked osteoporosis with the postmenopausal state. Thus, in the 1940's, he started to treat menopausal women with estrogen in order to prevent further bone loss.

In the 1960's, researchers developed more sensitive methods to detect early bone loss; such as bone densitometers.

Bisphosponates which inhibit bone resorption, and revolutionized the treatment of osteoporosis; were discovered in the 1960s by Herbert Fleisch.

In 1984, the National Institute of Health (NIH) publicized this disease, and brought attention to osteoporosis as a significant threat to health; with the emphasis that bone loss could be reduced by estrogen therapy, calcium supplementation, good nutrition, and exercise.

In the 1980's and 1990's researchers discovered the specific cytokines which influence the activity of osteoclasts, the components that cause bone breakdown.

Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), such as raloxifene, entered the market around 1998. They also have been found to treat breast tumors and to stimulate the growth of uterine cells.

World Health Organization (WHO) first used T-scores as a measure for classification and definition of various amounts of bone mineral density (BMD), in 1994. The T-score was determined as the standard deviation of the BMD for a single patient in contrast with a standard population sample. The population sample is always a young, healthy person, matched for sex and race.