The prevalence of osteoporosis risk factors and physician intervention

To determine the prevalence of osteoporosis risk factors and the probability of physician risk recognition and intervention, the medical records of a cohort of 243 women aged 40 to 65 years were reviewed retrospectively. A historical cohort design was used. Risk factors present before the start of the study were identified. Osteoporosis risk recognition (discussion, problem list), osteoporosis specific intervention (counseling about risk, or estrogen or calcium supplementation), or nonspecific intervention (dietary, exercise, smoking, or alcohol counseling) were recorded over a 3-year follow-up period. Seventy-four percent of the women had two or more risk factors. The most common were perimenopausal or postmenopausal status (73%) and absence of estrogen supplementation (ever) (65%). During the period of the study, 46 women (19%) had received an osteoporosis-specific intervention. One hundred eleven women (46%) had received one of the above or a less specific intervention. The medical records of only 25 women (10%) documented an assessment of osteoporosis risk. Only menopausal status predicted osteoporosis intervention, and the probability of intervention decreased as the total number of risk factors increased. The data identify three groups of women who could benefit from increased risk-reduction strategies: premenopausal women, perimenopausal or postmenopausal women who have never previously taken supplemental estrogens, and women with multiple risk factors.