Bone Loss Accompanying Medical Therapies

In this issue of the Journal, two groups of investigators report that the treatment of a primary medical condition resulted in accelerated bone loss.1,2 In one study, by Smith et al.,1 men with prostate cancer who were treated with leuprolide had rapid bone loss, which was prevented in a similar group of men by the addition of pamidronate therapy. In the other study, by Israel et al.,2 premenopausal women taking inhaled glucocorticoids for the treatment of asthma lost more bone mass than women who were not taking inhaled glucocorticoids. What mechanisms do these two agents of bone loss share? . . .