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Many older patients undergo bone-mineral density (BMD) screening every few years, and Medicare reimburses for these tests at 2-year intervals. But is such repeated screening useful? Researchers used Framingham Osteoporosis Study data to identify 310 men and 492 women (mean age at baseline, 75) who were untreated for osteoporosis following their first femoral neck BMD screening; all participants received second screenings a mean 3.7 years later. Fracture risk scores were calculated using FRAX. Subjects were excluded from this population-based cohort study if they suffered hip fractures before second BMD tests.
During a mean follow-up of ≈10 years, 113 osteoporotic fractures (including 88 hip fractures) occurred. In analysis that accounted for…