Study links BMD screening to fewer hip fractures.(News)

Bone density screening was associated with fewer hip fractures compared with usual medical care in a study of more than 3,000 adults aged 65 and older.

"Although some groups recommend screening, no study had proved that screening prevents fractures. Our study provides new evidence for the effectiveness of osteoporosis screening." lead researcher Lisa M. Kern, M.D., of Cornell University, New York, said in a statement.

"We believe that our study is the first to measure and find a direct link between screening for osteoporosis and fewer incident hip fractures," the researchers said. But because the study was not randomized, "the observed relationship between screening and hip fracture could be diminished by a small unmeasured confounder," they noted (Ann. Intern. Med. 2005;142:173-181).

The study included 3,107 participants in the larger Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). Participants were assigned to a study arm based on the state where they resided.

In one arm, 1,422 participants from California and Pennsylvania were offered osteoporosis screening using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the hip. Both the participants and their primary care providers were given a graph showing the results of their bone scan in relation to the normal range of bone mineral density (BMD).

The graph did not label the participants as normal, osteopenic, or osteoporotic and did not recommend any particular intervention.

In the other arm, 1,685 participants in Maryland and North Carolina received usual medical care.