F. Russo

Scuola di Specializzazione in Idrologia Medica

Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia dell’Università di Pisa, Italy

Osteoporosis, firstly described 3.000 years ago, since the post-war period has stired up an increasing scientific interest, together with the diseases caused by the ‘civilization’. These pathologies are becoming more and more relevant because of the grow longer of the life.

In fact, osteoporosis is one of the main problems of public health in the western world, with more than 75.000.000 of sick persons in EU, US and Japan, and a risk of 15% of vertebral, wrist or hip fractures.

Osteoporosis is a multifactorial disease, main affecting individuals aged more than 40 years old. We can distinguish between Type I and Type II form, or a secondary form.

Following a synthesis of risk factors, the possible role of the obesity, and the consequences of the disease such as fractures, we will describe the main therapeutical strategies, with particular reference to the prevention. As far as the prevention of osteoporosis is concerned, we will discuss the potential beneficial role of spa treatment (mud- and/or balneo-therapy), in association with physical exercise and diet, possibly related to a modification in calciotropic metabolism.