Scientists from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, are suggesting a new approach to determining the risk of fracture in individuals with the brittle bone disease, osteoporosis, which could have treatment implications.
Their finding, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, is based on data from a fifteen-year epidemiology study and shows that calculating bone loss, by having at least two bone mineral density (BMD) measurements taken a minimum of 1-2 years apart, can improve the accuracy of fracture risk assessment.
Currently a bone density (DXA) scan is used to diagnose osteoporosis but, in Australia, treatment is usually only prescribed when an individual has had a fracture - regardless of BMD levels. Individuals with low BMD, despite being at high risk of fractures, are not commonly considered for drug treatment even though experts suggest that they should have preventative medication.
One in two women and one in three men over the age of 60 will have a fracture due to osteoporosis and, with an ageing population, the total numbers of sufferers is increasing. Fractures are a major cause of pain, disability and premature death.