Densitometry identifies women in whom treatment will reduce fracture risk

Despite lack of research on the effectiveness of osteoporosis screening to reduce fractures, there is sufficient evidence that bone density measurements accurately predict short-term fracture risk and that treating asymptomatic women with osteoporosis reduces fracture risk. According to this report, a reasonable recommendation is to screen all women older than 65 years and postmenopausal women younger than 65 years who have low weight (or body mass index) or who have never used hormone replacement therapy. The US Preventive Services Task Force noted that the optimal screening frequency has not been studied, but suggested a frequency of not more than every 2 years for older women or every 5 years for younger postmenopausal women. Also of note: other sources, notably the bisphosphonates package labeling, advise against monitoring therapy with repeated dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry or other methods.