New guidelines recommend testing osteoporosis risk in all postmenopausal women aged 50+ years

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology developed new osteoporosis guidelines that suggest all postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older be evaluated for osteoporosis risk, among other recommendations. Endocrine Practice published the guidelines.

A panel headed by Pauline M. Camacho, MD, director of Maywood, Ill.-based Loyola Medicine's Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Center wrote the guidelines.

Other recommendations include:

•    Provide counseling on reducing risk of falls, particularly among the elderly.
•    Strongly recommend medications for patients with osteopenia or low bone mass and a history of a fragility fracture in the hip or spine.
•    Successful osteoporosis treatment is defined as stable or increasing bone mineral density with no evidence of new fractures or fracture progression.

The guidelines also note that "fewer than one in four women aged 67 years or older with an osteoporosis-related fracture [undergo] bone density measurement or [begin] osteoporosis treatment."

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 10.2 million Americans have osteoporosis and an additional 43.4 million have low bone mass.

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