We are back!
After a short break, we are once again distributing Preventive Health Updates. We have made one change. Because we know you do not want too many emails cluttering up your inbox, we will now send out updates only when there is something new to inform you of, rather than every month routinely.
Watch for our new iPhone application My Health Checklist 2011 coming soon!
The New Osteoporosis Screening Guidelines
 Bottom Line: Women age 65 and over, and women younger than age 65 but with high risk for broken bones (equal to or higher than a white woman age 65 with no additional risk factors) should get checked for osteoporosis (thin bones).
Approximately 12 million people in the U.S. older than 50 years have dangerously thin bones, or osteoporosis. Of the women in this age group, one half will have a broken bone related to osteoporosis in their lifetime, and many men will as well. These broken bones often lead to chronic pain and disability, and even early death. The good news is that osteoporosis can be detected and treated early and many broken bones can be prevented.
In January 2011, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reviewed the research and released an updated recommendation on screening for osteoporosis.
Women age 65 years and older clearly benefit from being checked for osteoporosis, usually with a special x-ray test called dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, or “DEXA”. The DEXA checks the hips and lower spine for bone thinness.
Women younger than 65 years can also be at high risk for osteoporosis and broken bones, and may benefit from getting a DEXA test. Men may also benefit, but it is not yet proven.
The following are some of the more important risk factors for osteoporosis:
· Older age
· Alcohol use
· Tobacco use
· Family history of broken bones
· Low body weight
So, if you are a woman age 65 or over, or a younger woman (and possibly a man) with one or more of the listed risk factors, talk to your health care provider about whether or not getting checked for osteoporosis is right for you.
If you are a woman younger than 65 years and want a more precise way to evaluate your risk, consider the following. A typical 65 year old white woman with no additional risk factors has about a 9 out of 100 (9.3%) chance of a broken bone related to osteoporosis over the next 10 years. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women younger than 65 years who have as much risk as a 65 year old (9.3%) of a broken bone related to osteoporosis over the next 10 years, you should also be checked for osteoporosis.
How do you know if you have a 9.3% or greater risk? Here is a link to an online calculator to check it out. It is called the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX). Note that your height and weight need to be entered in centimeters and kilograms, but there are boxes to use inches and pounds on the right side of the page. Go ahead. Give it a try. If your “Major Osteoporotic” 10-year risk is 9.3% or greater, consider getting checked for osteoporosis.
http://www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX/tool.jsp?country=9
Ref: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2011
|
