Abstract

The skeleton is a metabolically active organ that undergoes continuous remodeling throughout life. This remodeling is necessary both to maintain the structural integrity of the skeleton and to fulfill its metabolic functions as a storehouse of calcium and phosphorus. Skeletal remodeling can be triggered by changes in mechanical forces or microdamage and by hormonal response to changes in circulating calcium and phosphorus levels. The skeleton also serves as the second line of defense against acidosis, and it is able to liberate buffers in the form of inorganic phosphates. Disorders of Bone and Mineral Metabolism is a multi-authored clinical update that covers all major aspects of bone and its mineral disorders. The first chapter is divided into different sections describing various minerals of clinical importance followed by regulation of mineral metabolism by parathyroid hormone, and vitamin D. There is a very good balance of basic information to act as a primer for the reader and the supporting experimental evidence. The complicated and often difficult topics of mineralization of bone and its regulation and other aspects of mineral metabolism are presented in a particularly clear and interesting manner. A long and useful bibliography follows every chapter. This update contains thorough discussions of the pathophysiology, diagnostic techniques, and therapy of mineral diseases with a wealth of detail. The book is a very useful reference for those interested in bone and mineral physiology and disease, be it a general physician or a nephrologist.