Collagen crosslinks in metabolic bone disease

Noninvasive techniques for monitoring bone resorption have received a great deal of research interest in recent years, driven partly by the increasing incidence of osteoporotic bone fractures, with their attendant social and economic costs. Demographic changes suggest that osteoporosis is likely to become an increasing problem but there are now also an increasing number of treatment strategies for the disease. Suitable means of measuring bone resorption rates are therefore important not only as an aid to detecting those at risk but also for effective monitoring of therapy. These arguments, particularly in terms of monitoring therapy, are equally important for many other metabolic bone diseases.