Government panel recommends routine osteoporosis screening

PHILADELPHIA -- Women 65 and older should be regularly screened for osteoporosis by getting bone density tests, a government panel recommended.

The recommendation, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine today, was issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a panel of health experts.

The task force's last report on bone-weakening osteoporosis, in 1996, said there was not enough evidence to say whether routine screening is an effective prevention tool. Since then, additional research has shown there is a benefit, said Janet Allen, vice chair of the task force.

Low-dose X-rays of the hip to measure bone density generally cost between $125 and $200, according to the task force. Many insurance companies will not pay for the screening, though Medicare will cover the hip test every two years for post-menopausal women if ordered by a doctor.

The task force said getting the test every five years is probably adequate for women with normal bone density.

Women at higher risk for osteoporosis-related fractures should start getting tested earlier, at age 60, the task force said.

The disease is more common among women who are older, have a sedentary lifestyle and a family history of osteoporosis, and are taking estrogen. But many women do not even realize they have the condition until they break a bone.

Osteoporosis affects 10 million Americans -- mostly women -- and leads to more than 1.5 million fractures per year, according to the National Institutes of Health.