Who should have a bone mineral density test?
“According to guidelines from the National Osteoporosis Foundation, bone mineral density testing should be performed on: • All women age 65 and older • Younger postmenopausal women with one or more risk factors (other than being white, postmenopausal and female), such as smoking, use of corticosteroid medications, being small and thin, and having a family history of osteoporosis. • Postmenopausal women with fractures (to confirm the diagnosis and determine the severity of their osteoporosis). “Anyone who sustains a type of fracture associated with osteoporosis—such as hip, wrist or spine fracture—automatically qualifies for a bone mineral density test, and we encourage these patients to have the test performed.
