WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has released new osteoporosis prevention guidelines, recommending all women aged 65 and older, and at-risk postmenopausal women under 65 to undergo screening for osteoporosis to prevent fractures.
'Too often, the first sign of osteoporosis is a broken bone, which can lead to serious health issues,' USPSTF member Dr. Esa Davis, senior associate dean of population and community medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said in a statement.
'The good news is that for women 65 years or older, as well as younger women at increased risk, screening can detect osteoporosis early-before fractures happen-helping women maintain their health, independence, and quality of life.'
Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens the bones, caused by decline of bone mineral density and bone mass. The skeletal disease primarily effects older population with around 10 million people in the U.S. over the age of 50 suffering from it, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The new recommendation was supported by 145 unique studies assessed in a systematic evidence review, showing that osteoporosis screening was associated with reduced hip fractures and major osteoporotic fractures compared to standard care.
However, the USPSTF noted that it is yet to find enough evidence to support whether osteoporosis screening and current treatments prevent fractures among men.
'The Task Force continues to call for more research in men and encourages anyone concerned about their bone health to speak with their clinician,' stated USPSTF vice chair Dr. John Wong, chief of the Tufts Medical Center Division of Clinical Decision Making.
The updated guidelines, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, also noted certain inequalities related to osteoporosis screening with risk assessment tools having some limitations in predicting fracture risk among Black, Hispanic and Asian people.
'It is important that clinicians be aware of these limitations,' the task force said in its statement. 'Clinicians may also want to consider additional risk factors to help inform discussions with their patients and determine whether screening or treatment for osteoporosis is needed.'
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