Screening for Male Osteoporosis at an Academic Medical Center

Abstract

Recent findings suggest that men have higher mortality rates than women after a hip fracture. Although the risk of osteoporotic fractures in men is increasing, male osteoporosis still remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. In general, male osteoporosis is given low priority by policy makers in public health initiatives. The purpose of this study is to examine the patterns of use and gender distribution of DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan usage at a university medical center in the United States. The total number of DXA scans increased during the study period while the percentage of men studied actually declined. The results of this study may lead to heightened awareness among providers who are caring for male patients at risk for osteoporosis.

Bone health assessment in adults with fragility fracture risk factors between 2002–2014: a retrospective cohort study

“…This study's finding of men having a lower rate of BHA compared to women concurs with other published papers. 9,27 Codes for FRAX/QFracture were used in only 0.5% of the total BHA codes (Table 3), which potentially could be an underestimate. In a Canadian multicentre osteoporosis study looking at men aged 50 years and over, only 2.3% of men with fragility fractures in the cohort were diagnosed with osteoporosis at the start of the study, which increased to 10.3% at five years followup.…”