This comprehensive manual covers all aspects of the prevention, diagnosis and management of osteoporosis, offering an upbeat and optimistic assessment of what can be achieved. While scientifically based, the book provides easy-to-follow guidelines for lifelong maintenance of skeletal structure and function. It deals with everything from the basic physiology of bone and mineral metabolism to the diagnostic utility of radiologic imaging and specialized tests and current treatment recommendations, including for fracture management. The relationship of osteoporosis to a variety of other disorders is also thoroughly explored and elucidated.   Osteoporosis represents a global threat because every human being is vulnerable to it as time passes. The authors point out the enormous scale of the problem in terms of the human suffering, morbidity, and mortality on the one hand and the associated astronomical national and global costs on the other.