Routine Osteoporosis Screening Recommended

The US Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that women aged 65 and older be routinely screened for osteoporosis to reduce the risk of fracture and spinal abnormalities often associated with the disease. The task force also recommended that routine screening begin at age 60 for those women identified as at high risk because of their weight or estrogen use. The recommendations, which are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, mark the first time the task force has called for routine osteoporosis screening. The task force found that dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry is the most accurate method for measuring bone density.