A new computer model simulates the mechanics of bone turnover at menopause.

2004 FEB 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new computer model simulates the mechanics of bone turnover at menopause.

"Antiresorptive drugs are widely used to prevent osteoporotic fractures in men and women. Large clinical trials have shown vertebral fracture risk reductions up to 50%, resulting from relatively small increases of 3-8% in bone mineral density (BMD). We developed a computer model that mimics bone turnover in human vertebral cancellous bone during menopause and antiresorptive treatment," scientists writing in the journal Calcified Tissue International report.

"This model links cell activity in trabeculae to changes in bone volume and mechanical properties. We asked whether treatment started shortly after menopause is better than treatment started late after menopause. In order to answer this question we used the model to simulate menopause and 5 years of anti-resorptive treatment with two different agents: one incorporated in the tissue, one not incorporated," explained J.C. van der Linden and colleagues, Erasmus Medical Center, Department of Orthopedics.

"We found that late treatment can result in almost the same bone mass as early treatment, but early treatment is much better in conserving the strength and stiffness of the cancellous bone. The effect of the incorporation of drugs in the tissue (giving ...