Bone metabolic markers and diagnosis of abnormal bone and calcium metabolism

Bone metabolic markers increase in blood or urine, when bone formation or bone resorption accelerates. Reference values of bone metabolic markers are determined in male or female, and in pre- or post-menopause, respectively. Values of bone metabolic markers in most patients with primary osteoporosis were distributed within a reference value, mean+/-1.96 SD. When measured values exceeded a reference values, we should survey a possibility of abnormal calcium or bone metabolism such as primary hyperparathyroidism, renal osteodystrophy, hyperthyroidism and Paget's disease of bone or bone metastasis associated with malignant tumor.