Risk Factors, Epidemiology and Treatment Strategies for Metabolic Bone Disease in Patients with Neurological Disease

Metabolic bone disease is a major public health concern, especially when it manifests as hip fracture which carries significant morbidity and mortality. Individuals with neurological disease are at higher risk of osteopenia, osteoporosis and fragility fracture compared to age-matched controls, yet this is under-appreciated by these patients. Clinician attention to this topic is therefore of importance and should address the bone health of men as well as women, a group in whom it may be an under-recognised problem. Evidence for optimal management of bone health in neurological disease remains to be defined, but a growing literature provides some useful guidance. This review focuses on two conditions, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, where research has been active over recent years. In neuroinflammation, shared immunological pathways between bone and brain are a current domain of interest and it will be intriguing to interrogate the action of emerging immunotherapies on these dual compartments.