TUESDAY, Nov. 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) draft recommendation statement and draft evidence review on Screening for Osteoporosis to Prevent Osteoporotic Fractures have been posted for public comment through Dec. 4, 2017.
Meera Viswanathan, Ph.D., from RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and colleagues synthesized the evidence on behalf of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The researchers conducted a literature review to identify evidence about screening to prevent osteoporotic fractures. Centrally measured dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used as the reference standard for identifying osteoporosis.
The task force recommends screening for osteoporosis with bone measurement testing to prevent osteoporotic fractures in women ≥65 years (B recommendation). Screening for osteoporosis with bone measurement testing should also occur in postmenopausal women <65 years who are at increased risk of osteoporosis as determined by a formal clinical risk assessment tool (B recommendation). However, the task force found the current evidence insufficient for assessing the balance of benefits and harms of screening for osteoporosis to prevent osteoporotic fractures in men.
"Without screening, most women won't know that they have osteoporosis until they have a fracture," USPSTF member Alex H. Krist, M.D., M.P.H., said in a statement. "The task force found that screening for osteoporosis can help clinicians identify and treat the disease early to help prevent fractures."
Draft Recommendation Statement
Draft Evidence Review
