Performance of the osteoporosis risk assessment tool in Moroccan men

Measuring bone mineral density (BMD) is a widely accepted strategy for identifying subjects with an increased risk of fracture. However, because of limited availability of BMD technology in some communities and cost considerations, it has been proposed that BMD measurements be targeted to subjects with risk factors for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis self-assessment tool (OST) using age and weight have been developed to identify women who are more likely to have low BMD and thus undergo BMD testing. To study the performance of OST in identifying osteoporotic white men in Morocco. We analysed in an epidemiological cross-sectional study the records for 229 white Moroccan men seen at an out-patient rheumatology centre. OST was compared to bone density T scores and the ability of OST to identify men with osteoporosis (T < -2.5) was evaluated. Using an OST score < 2 to recommend dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) referral, sensitivity ranged from 63% at the lumbar spine to 87% at the total hip to detect BMD T scores of -2.5 and specificity from 58 to 59%. The negative predictive value was high at all skeletal sites (87-98%), demonstrating the usefulness of the OST to identify patients who have normal BMD and should not receive DXA testing. The performance of OST among men in Morocco was similar to that reported earlier for the other samples in Asian countries and the USA. The OST is an effective and efficient tool to help target high-risk men for DXA measurement.