The increasing interest in metabolic bone disease over the past few years is well illustrated by the increase in the number of references cited for osteoporosis in Index Medicus over the last 5 years, there being over 450 for 1991 alone. Increasingly, it is being appreciated that osteoporosis is not inevitable, that prevention is certainly achievable, and that treatment regimes which reduce fracture rates do exist for established disease. Thus interest is no longer confined to endocrinologists with a special interest in metabolic bone disease, but to a much wider medical field, including general physicians, geriatricians, gynaecologists, orthopaedic surgeons, primary care physicians and rheumatologists, amongst others. Public, as well as general medical, awareness of these diseases, especially osteoporosis, has also grown. Much progress has also been made in our understanding of other metabolic bone disorders, e.g. osteogenesis imperfecta.

The aim of this book is to provide an update on the investigation and treatment of the major metabolic bone diseases in order to help non-specialists, both in hospital and general practice, who may not have access to a bone clinic. Some of the rarer disorders are also discussed in order to provide hopefully useful background information which, in addition, should be of help to those revising for post-graduate qualifications.