WEDNESDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- A new clinical guideline on
screening for osteoporosis in men has been developed by the
American College of Physicians (ACP), which notes that osteoporosis
rates among men are expected to increase 50 percent over the next
15 years.
Osteoporosis-related fractures in men result in substantial
disease, death and health costs, and the one-year death rate in men
after hip fracture is twice that of women.
"Older men, especially those over the age of 65, need to be
assessed regularly for risk factors for osteoporosis," Dr. Amir
Qaseem, senior medical associate in ACP's clinical programs and
quality of care department, said in a prepared statement.
"Osteoporosis is not just a woman's disease. It is significantly
under-diagnosed and under-treated in men. Not enough older men are
being screened."
Risk factors for osteoporosis in men include: older age, low
body weight, weight loss, physical inactivity, previous fractures
not caused by substantial trauma, low-calcium diets, and ongoing
use of certain drugs, such as corticosteroids like prednisone or
drugs that are sometimes used to treat prostate cancer.
The new guideline says doctors should periodically assess older
men for osteoporosis risk factors and should order a DEXA
(dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan for men who are at
increased risk for osteoporosis and are candidates for drug
therapy.
The guideline, based on a review of previously published
studies, was published in the May 6 issue of the
Annals of Internal Medicine.
Current U.S. rates of osteoporosis are estimated to be 7 percent
in white men, 5 percent in black men, and 3 percent in Hispanic
men. However, osteoporosis rates among U.S. men are expected to
increase almost 50 percent in the next 15 years, and hip fracture
rates could double by 2040, according to background information in
a news release about the new guideline.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends a bone mineral
density test for men aged 70 and older. The U.S. Preventive
Services Task Force doesn't have an osteoporosis screening
recommendation for men.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and
Skin Diseases has more about
osteoporosis in men.
