The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that women aged 65 and older be screened routinely for osteoporosis. The USPSTF recommends that routine screening begin at age 60 for women at increased risk for osteoporotic fractures.
There is good evidence that the risk for osteoporosis and fracture increases with age and other factors; bone density measurements accurately predict the risk for fractures in the short-term; treating asymptomatic women with osteoporosis reduces their risk for fracture. The USPSTF concludes that the benefits of screening and treatment are of at least moderate magnitude for women at increased risk by virtue of age or presence of other risk factors.
There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against routine osteoporosis screening in postmenopausal women who are younger than 60 or in women aged 60-64 who are not at increased risk for osteoporotic fractures.
The USPSTF Recommendations and Rationale—as well as the Summary of Evidence, Systematic Review, and a fact sheet are available below.
Current as of September 2002
Internet Citation:
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Osteoporosis Screening. September 2002. Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/3rduspstf/osteoporosis/
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850