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JAMA. 1984;252(6):799-802.

Abstract
Osteoporosis is a major underlying cause of bone fractures in postmenopausal women and older persons in general. It is a condition in which bone mass decreases, causing bones to be more susceptible to fracture. A fall, blow, or lifting action that would not bruise or strain the average person can easily cause one or more bones to break in a person with severe osteoporosis.

Medical practitioners and patients alike are concerned with the optimum approach to the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. The appropriate timing and proper use of agents, such as calcium, vitamin D, estrogens, and fluorides, as well as the role of exercise are issues that have generated major research efforts and considerable controversy.

In an effort to resolve some of the questions surrounding these issues, the National Institutes convened a Consensus Development Conference on Osteoporosis from April 2 through 4, 1984. After 1 1/2 days of presentations by experts in the field, a consensus panel including representatives of orthopedics, endocrinology, gynecology, rheumatology, epidemiology, nutrition, biochemistry, family medicine, and the general public considered the evidence and agreed on answers to the following key questions:

1. What is osteoporosis?
   
2. What are the clinical features of osteoporosis, and how is it detected?
   
3. Who is at risk for the development of osteoporosis?
   
4. What are the possible causes of osteoporosis?
   
5. How can osteoporosis be prevented and treated?
   
6. What are the directions for future research?
   

Footnotes
From the Office of Medical Applications of Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Reprint requests to the Office of Medical Applications of Research, Bldg 1, Room 216, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20205 (Michael J. Bernstein).

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