Men & Women Need Bone Density Test
Low bone density increases the chance of breaking a bone from a fall or minor accident for men and women alike, yet the guidelines for testing may discourage men from being tested.
Newly updated guidelines issued by the United States Preventive Services Task Force suggest that all women 65 and older undergo bone density screening. The lack of insufficient data and evidence, however do not yet support similar testing on men.
Men over age 70 suffer about half as many osteoporotic fractures as women, yet when a man breaks his hip because of osteoporosis, he is more likely than a woman similarly afflicted to be permanently disabled and twice as likely to die within a year. Despite this, osteoporosis is still viewed as a "women's disease".
Bone density screening is a brief, noninvasive, safe and inexpensive test covered by Medicare. It is called a DEXA scan. For women past menopause who are younger than 65, the guidelines say a scan may be appropriate depending on their risk factors for osteoporosis.
