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INTRODUCTION The French anatomist Joseph Guichard Duverney (1648-1730) is credited with the first description of osteoporosis, which was recorded in the posthumous work (1751) Traité des maladies de os - Treatise on bone diseases. Another anatomist, also a surgeon, the Scotsman John Hunter (1728-1793), discovered, probably in 1763, bone remodeling. His observational and experimental investigations, in bones and teeth, were fundamental in the knowledge of bone growth. He discovered that this growth involved a remodeling process with bone deposition and resorption. He believed that the lymphatic vessels were the cause. It took a century for the osteoclast to be recognized as responsible for bone resorption. The Englishman Astley Paston Cooper (1768-1841), also an anatomist and surgeon4, identified in the third decade of the 19th century1 the age-related decrease in bone density as a cause of fractures. Around the same time, approximately 18301, the French pathologist Jean Georges Chretien Frédéric Martin Lobstein (1777-1835), who coined "Arteriosclérose" to describe the ossification of arteries, introduced the expression "Ostéoporose", etymologically "porous bone", to designates the holes that, larger than normal, he had found in his bone observations. In the second volume of his Traité d'anatomie pathologique –Pathological Anatomy Treatise- (1833) the two terms appear for the first time. Lobstein characterized osteoporosis by increased bone volume, unchanged periosteum, Goal Delve into the disease of osteoporosis Developing Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by bone fragility. At the International Conference on Primary Health Care, held in Alma-Ata on September 12, 1978, the need for urgent action by all governments and health professionals to protect and promote the health of all people was expressed. What is Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease in which there is a decrease in bone density. Thus, the bones become more porous, the number and size of the cavities or cells that exist inside them increase, they are more fragile, they resist blows less well and they break more easily. Causes Numerous metabolic changes occur within the bone throughout life, alternating phases of bone destruction and bone formation. These phases are regulated by different hormones, physical activity, diet, toxic habits and vitamin D, among other factors. Under normal conditions, a person reaches a maximum amount of bone mass (“peak bone mass”) at the age of 30-35 years. From that moment on, there is a natural loss of bone mass. Women have osteoporosis more frequently for several reasons: their peak bone mass is usually lower than that of men and bone loss accelerates with menopause (postmenopausal osteoporosis). There are many other causes of osteoporosis: alcoholism, drugs (glucocorticoids, hormonal treatment used to treat breast and prostate cancer...), rheumatic, endocrine, hepatic inflammatory diseases, kidney failure, among others. Symptoms Osteoporosis is called a silent epidemic because it shows no symptoms until bone loss is significant enough for fractures to occur. The most frequent fractures are vertebral, hip and wrist fractures (Colles fracture or distal end of the radius). Hip fracture is of special importance since it is considered a serious event because it requires surgical intervention, hospital admission and implies a loss of quality of life for the patient, even for a short period of time. Prevalence This disease mainly affects women after menopause, although it can also occur before or affect men, adolescents and even children. Specifically, in Spain, approximately 2 million women suffer from osteoporosis, with a prevalence in the postmenopausal population of 25% (1 in 4). It is estimated that this disease is the cause of some 25,000 fractures each year. Approximately 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. Diagnosis Although it is a silent disease, rheumatologists currently have a wide range of tools for early diagnosis and thus adapt treatment, either to prevent bone loss or to combat osteoporosis. There are lifestyle habits that can help improve bone quality, such as: adequate calcium intake, physical exercise and not smoking. The exact amount of Calcium varies with age, but many adults will need 1,000 to 1,500 mg per day. This intake can be done with natural foods rich in calcium (especially milk and its derivatives) or as supplements in the form of medicines (calcium salts). In the latter case, there should be a check by your doctor on the amount and schedule of administration. Similarly, vitamin D is a fundamental substance for bone. Its daily needs are achieved fundamentally by its formation in the skin when it receives the effect of solar irradiation. Treatment The goal of osteoporosis treatment is to reduce the number of fragility fractures. As a general measure, it is recommended to maintain healthy lifestyle habits, such as a balanced diet rich in calcium, quitting tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption, as well as exercising daily with control to avoid falls. Also, some people may require calcium and vitamin D supplements. Antiresorptive treatment is one that prevents the loss of bone mass. This group includes drugs such as bisphosphonates (alendronate, risedronate, zoledronate...), denosumab, selective estrogen receptor modulators (raloxifene, bazedoxifene) and estrogens. Osteoforming treatment, as its name suggests, stimulates the formation of new bone and within this group teriparatide is included. Finally, the drug that has a mixed mechanism of action (antiresorptive and bone-forming) is strontium ranelate. However, the rheumatologist will assess the characteristics of the patient, his pathological history and the risk factors for osteoporosis and will decide in each situation which is the most appropriate drug in each case. Conclusions Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by decreased bone density, the bones are brittle. There is more porosity in the bone tissue and as a consequence it is more prone to fractures. Anyone can develop the disease, but it is more common in adult women. From Primary Care, Health Education campaigns can be carried out, promoting healthy habits and individualized talks with the physiotherapist. The main goal of rehabilitation is to minimize the pain associated with repeated fractures, and to make changes to your daily habits to improve your quality of life. Physiotherapy also acquires a great role in this process. It will be essential when it comes to recovering the general activity of the patient, but also favoring the density of bone tissue. In this sense, it has effective tools, such as therapeutic exercise that, adapted to each case, helps to mineralize the bones through muscular traction. Here, the physiotherapist is fundamental; since thanks to his advice and follow-up, he will prevent the patient from experiencing any negative effects in carrying out the activities, taking advantage only of their benefits. In the fight against osteoporosis the key is prevention. Only through proper lifestyle habits, regular physical exercise or a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, can we keep our bones in top shape, avoid the negative effects of this pathology and ensure as much as possible