Screening Men for Osteoporosis

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Investigators: Paul Shekelle, MD, PhD, Brett Munjas, BA, Hau Liu, MD, Elaine Wong, MD, Neil Paige, MD, Caroline Goldzweig, MD, Annie Zhou, MS, and Marika Suttorp, MS. Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare System/Southern California/RAND Evidence-based Practice Center Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs; May 2007.

Download PDF: Complete Report, Executive Summary, Report, Appendices

Summary / Overview

Although 25% of men over the age of 60 will sustain osteoporotic fractures during their lifetime, data suggest that male osteoporosis is underdiganosed and undertreated. In order to help inform decisions about whether the Veterans Health Administration should develop screening guidelines for male osteoporosis, the following Key Questions were analysed in this report:

1. What are the prevalence of and risk factors for osteopenia, osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures among men in general and among male Veterans specifically?
2. Are there any validated tools (outside of central bone density) to screen for osteoporosis in men?
3. What values of bone mineral density (BMD) determined by Dual energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) (and by different DXA techniques) have been used to diagnose osteopenia and osteoporosis; and what is the evidence regarding the relationship between differing definitions and the development of osteoporotic fractures?

See also

Liu H, Paige NM, Goldzweig CL, wong E, Zhou A, Suttorp MJ, Munjas B, Orwoll E, Shekelle P. Screening for osteoporosis in men: a systematic review for an American College of Physicians guideline. Ann Intern Med. 2008; 148(9):685-701.