Clinical Information

Human bone is continuously remodeled through the process of bone formation and resorption. Measurement of bone turnover markers (BTM) in serum or urine serves as an indicator of bone formation or bone resorption cellular activities. BTM are physiologically elevated during childhood, growth, and during fracture healing. The elevations in bone resorption markers and bone formation markers are typically balanced in these circumstances and of no diagnostic value. Bone diseases occur when formation and resorption are uncoupled. In these situations, BTM might serve as predictors of therapy response.

Telopeptides of type 1 collagen are the most extensively studied and used bone resorption markers. There are 2 forms depending on the cross-link forming site with collagen, N-terminal telopeptide and C-terminal telopeptide, which are released during collagen degradation.

In osteoporosis, a disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue leading to increase skeletal fragility, measurement of BTM helps to determine treatment efficacy or patient's compliance with therapy. The advantage of measurement of BTM is that changes in response to therapy are observed within 3 to 6 months after therapy initiation, whereas changes in bone mineral density are not observed until 12 to 24 months posttherapy. Other diseases affecting the bone remodeling process, such as hyperthyroidism, all forms of hyperparathyroidism, most forms of osteomalacia and rickets (even if not associated with hyperparathyroidism), hypercalcemia of malignancy, Paget disease, multiple myeloma, bony metastases, as well as various congenital diseases of bone formation and remodeling, can result in accelerated and unbalanced bone turnover and elevation of BTM.