ECTS 35th European Symposium on Calcified Tissues. Barcelona, 2008: Meet the Professor

Meet the Professor

Maria Luisa Bianchi

Managing osteoporosis in children

Topics to be covered

A short introduction will be dedicated to the definition of osteoporosis in children. In the last years, low bone density and fragility fractures are increasingly seen in young people. The primitive forms are relatively rare, but the secondary forms - particularly in long-term corticosteroid therapy - are a relevant problem.

Regarding primary osteoporosis only the idiopathic juvenile osteoporosis (IJO) will be treated. I will try to give an answer to the main questions about the treatment of osteoporosis in children. In particular, the following questions will be addressed: Who is to be treated ? When to start a specific treatment ? Which treatment? For how long ? How to monitor response?

Educational goals

to understand when osteoporosis should be suspected in children
to learn which skeletal and bone metabolism exams must be made in children at risk
to give up-to-date information on the available therapies
to promote collaborative networks

Target audience

Medical doctors and nurses potentially involved in the management of osteoporosis.

Teaching methods

Some transparencies will be used to present the key points.
The participants will be invited to present their own experience and problems encoutered, and this will be discussed. Two or three clinical cases will be presented and debated, to offer practical clinical suggestions.