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Many Women Not Getting Necessary Screening For Osteoporosis

KYW Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --  Osteoporosis, or weak bones, affects about ten million Americans. Another way of looking at this is that up to half of women are at risk for an osteoporosis-related broken bone during their lifetime.

Osteoporosis, or low bone density, causes more than 2 million fractures every year. But many women are not getting necessary screening. A study involving more than 50,000 women ages 40 to 85 who had not been screened for osteoporosis was published in the Journal of Internal Medicine and the researchers followed the women for four years. Four out of ten women ages 60 to 65 who were at high risk for osteoporosis and were not screened.

Risk factors for osteoporosis include: a family history of osteoporosis or fractures, alcohol abuse, low body weight, and smoking. Talk with your physician about it.

 

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