2 Understanding osteoporosis in Parkinson’s

Having completed section 1 you should now have:

• an overview of the epidemiology of falls in Parkinson’s

• an understanding of why people with Parkinson’s fall

• an awareness of the potential sequelae of falls

In section 2, the objectives are to gain:

• an overview of bone metabolism and structure

• an understanding how these are altered in osteoporosis

• knowledge of the particular contributors to osteoporosis in Parkinson’s

People with Parkinson’s are at much higher risk of breaking a bone. This increased risk arises partly from the tendency to fall, addressed in the first section. But it also occurs because more people with Parkinson’s have reduced bone strength. To understand why this is, we will look at the structure and metabolism of healthy bone.