Treatment modalities used for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis have come under increased scrutiny more recently due to the elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among this patient population. A review of the literature found that postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were at an increased risk of experiencing cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction. This increased CVD risk among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis has been linked to the use of calcium supplements. It has also been linked to the presence of sclerostin, a wingless-type mouse mammary virus-integration site pathway, which is currently being used as a target for some osteoporosis medications. Research efforts have demonstrated that the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, especially among postmenopausal women, need to be carefully designed to prevent and reduce the risk of CVD events. As such, the most effective regimens should be tailored to each patient, ensuring that the benefits of certain treatments, such as selective estrogen receptor modulators and calcium supplementation, outweigh the potential health risks, especially CVD event risk among postmenopausal women.
Keywords: calcium supplement; cardiovascular disease; cardiovascular disease prevention; coronary artery calcium score; osteoporosis; osteoporosis treatment; post-menopausal women.
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