Osteoporosis historical perspective

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Eiman Ghaffarpasand, M.D. [2]

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 & Postmenopausal osteoporosis treated with estrogen by: Fuller Albright, American endocrinologist in: 1940's                                   Bone densitometers developed by: Norman, American researcher in: 1950                                   Bisphosphonates 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

• 4000 years old Egyptian mummies showed the revealing sign of osteoporosis called "Dowager's hump"; osteoporosis, Bone with holes, is seen for the first time.
• In 1800's, Osteoporosis was first discovered by John Hunter, British surgeon. 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.
• In 1830's, Jean Lobstein, a French pathologist, 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. 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.
• In 1830's, the link between age-related reductions in bone density and fracture risk determined by Astley Cooper. The term "osteoporosis", recognition of its pathological appearance is generally attributed to the French pathologist, Lobstein.
• In 1940's, the American endocrinologist, Fuller Albright from Massachusetts General Hospital, linked osteoporosis with the postmenopausal state. Thus, he started to treat menopausal women with estrogen in order to prevent further bone loss.
• In 1960's, researchers developed more sensitive methods to detect early bone loss; such as bone densitometers.
• In 1960's, bisphosphonates which inhibit bone resorption, and revolutionized the treatment of osteoporosis were discovered 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 1980's and 1990's researchers discovered the specific cytokines which influence the activity of osteoclasts, the components that cause bone breakdown.
• In 1994, World Health Organization (WHO) first used T-scores as a measure for classification and definition of various amounts of bone mineral density (BMD). 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.
• In 1998, Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), such as raloxifene, entered the market. They also have been found to treat breast tumors and to stimulate the growth of uterine cells.