Bone Density Test for Older Women Is Cost Effective

By Jane Farrell

Screening for fracture risk in older post-menopausal women is cost-effective, according to an analysis published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

The analysis examined results from a large randomized controlled trial. Screening, using the FRAX fracture risk calculator in addition to bone density measurements, was highly cost-effective when compared with usual management, with savings due to prevention of all osteoporosis-related fractures and hip fractures.

“This cost-effectiveness study was conducted within a trial of screening to prevent osteoporotic fractures in elderly women. This very large clinical trial, in over 12,000 participants, provided a unique opportunity to investigate the cost-effectiveness of screening using information collected from a single large cohort,” said lead author David Turner, of the University of East Anglia, in the UK. “This showed screening to be cost-effective and to represent an important resource for healthcare decision-making, both in the UK and internationally.”