Women’s Bone Tests Not Always Desirable

Women should not be routinely screened at menopause to determine their risk of breaking bones later in life, according to an article in the June issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Drs. Steven R. Cummings and Dennis Black of the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, conclude that sophisticated methods of measuring bone mass are primarily valuable for research, not for identifying older women at increased risk for “osteoporotic” fractures of the hip, wrist and spine.

The measurements, by “photon absorptiometry,” or CAT scan, do not reliably predict the risk of fractures, according to the article. Moreover, many women choose to take medicines, such as estrogens, to maintain the strength of their bones, regardless of the test results.

It is estimated that more than 500 clinics nationwide are offering such screening, which usually costs between $100 and $300, contrasted with only 25 clinics offering screening in 1984.

About 150,000 hip fractures occur each year in Americans over the age of 65, generating $7 billion a year in costs for medical and nursing services. This is more health-care expenditures than for all other osteoporotic fractures combined.