The outcome of bone mineral density measurements on patients referred from general practice

Sofia Inez Iqbal, Lina Steinrud Mørch, Mary Rosenzweig, Flemming Dela

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Abstract

The incidence of osteoporosis is increasing and the general practitioner is integral to identifying these patients. It is, therefore, of interest to characterize the referral pattern of patients scheduled for determination of bone density by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning. Altogether, 1551 scans from first-time referred women were analyzed with respect to normal bone mineral density (BMD), osteopenia, and osteoporosis as the outcome, and the results were compared with age and body mass index (BMI). Using multiple regression analysis, risk estimates for osteoporosis were calculated with respect to patient characteristics. Only 21% of the referred patients had osteoporosis and 34% had osteopenia. Of these, 24% had osteopenia and a Z-score below -1. Half of the referred patients were women less than 60 yr with a markedly low risk of osteoporosis. A BMI less than 20 kg/m(2) increased the predictive value considerably. A low BMI is a good indicator for referral of women less than 60 yr for measurements of bone density. Forty-five percent of the referred women from general practitioners had a normal BMD.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Clinical Densitometry
Volume8
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)178-82
Number of pages4
ISSN1094-6950
Publication statusPublished - 2005

Bibliographical note

Keywords: Absorptiometry, Photon; Adult; Aged; Body Mass Index; Bone Density; Bone Diseases, Metabolic; Family Practice; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Middle Aged; Osteoporosis; Referral and Consultation

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