["Bone markers"--when can they be useful?].
There is an increasing interest in using deoxypyridinoline (D-Pyd) (Pyrilinks-D) and bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) (Alkphase-B) or osteocalcin tests for detecting and monitoring risk persons for osteoporosis. Bone specificity is high, and the possibilities of detecting high bone turnover and fast bone losers in postmenopausal women is good, especially in women between 55 and 65 years of age. The tests are also useful for monitoring therapy, evaluating drug effectiveness and detecting poor compliance. The deoxypyridinoline (D-Pyd)-test must show a repeated high value prior to treatment (2 to 3 times over a period of one month), to allow for day to day variations. Because of the day to day variations in women's estrogen production (perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women), false low values may also be encountered. The use of "bone markers" to detect and treat fast bone losers could probably lead to considerable savings in the health budget and improvement in the quality of life for women worldwide.