Health
BMD confirmed as key to fracture risk
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 7, 2004
Bone mineral density is the main indicator of osteoporosis and an increased risk of broken bones but can also be an indicator of impending death, according to two papers presented at the Osteoporosis World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last month.
BMD has long been considered a strong indicator of fracture risk but a meta-analysis by the World Health Organization's Center for Metabolic Bone Diseases pulling together studies looking at more than 39,000 people seems to confirm its predictive power. At the age of 65, a decrease in BMD was associated with a near tripling of the hip fracture risk in both men and women. The risk, however, varied according to age with those in their 50s having the most fracture risk from bone loss and those in their 80s having less.
In addition, an analysis from the Center for Clinical and Basic Research in Denmark suggested that BMD can indicate an increased risk of mortality. Researchers followed more than 6,000 postmenopausal women for 10 years, finding that those who died during the study period had lower bone mass.
The only exception seemed to be that women with a high BMD appeared to be at a higher risk for death from breast cancer.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/06/07/hlbf0607.htm.
