MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Even though they have the highest risk for hip fractures, elderly women are least likely to get bone density screening, a new study finds.
Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin analyzed the Medicare records of nearly 44,000 women, ages 65 to 90, to see how many of them had bone density screening between 1999 and 2001.
Reporting in the March issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, they found that 27 percent of women ages 65 to 70 had the test, compared with 25.6 percent of women ages 71 to 75, and less than 10 percent of women older than 75.
The Wisconsin team noted that 19 percent of women ages 65 to 74 have osteoporosis, along with 32.5 percent of women ages 75 to 84, and more than 50 percent of women over age 85.
"Since osteoporosis can be helped with appropriate therapy, it is especially important for older women to find out whether or not they need the therapy. Treatment with hormones or bone-building drugs can slow the process, rebuild some bone and reduce the risk of fracture by one-third," study lead author Dr. Joan M. Neuner, assistant professor of medicine, said in a prepared statement.
She and her colleagues suggested a number of reasons why older women are less likely to get bone density screening. Doctors may not understand the importance of bone density testing or may not be aware that just three years of osteoporosis treatment can reduce the risk of fractures.
In addition, women may not like to take prescription drugs or may be put off by side effects. Women may not realize they're at risk for osteoporosis or mistakenly believe that it's a natural part of aging.
The study's findings indicate the need for greater doctor and patient education in order to increase rates of bone density screening among older women, the authors said.
More information
The American College of Physicians has more about osteoporosis.
