ABSTRACT
The present interest in osteoporosis has resulted in considerable research to identify factors underlying age-related bone loss. Skeletal fragility in the elderly represents a tremendous public health problem, economically and clinically. Two hypotheses have been put forward to explain the cause of dangerously reduced bone mass in the senior population; a) unusually accelerated loss in later years; or b) failure to attain a sufficient level of peak bone density in young adulthood. It is probable that reduced bone mass in elderly patients results from some combination of these factors.
