The recognition that osteoporosis is a huge public health problem came recently, but it rapidly stimulated the emergence of a major new province in biology and medicine. Professional meetings devoted to bone metabolism and metabolic bone disorders have blossomed, new journals have emerged, and the pioneering careers of dedicated early investigators have inspired the vigor of a new generation of scientists. All this research interest is already yielding substantial benefit for patients as new diagnostic methods and effective preventative and therapeutic approaches promise to dramatically reduce the personal and economic burden of osteoporosis. Even as the care of osteoporosis is becoming a routine part of clinical medicine, there is.
