Abstract
The United States Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF) recommends bone mineral density (BMD) screening for osteoporosis in women under the age of 65 by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) if their risk of a major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) is greater or equal to that of an average 65-year-old woman without risk factors for osteoporosis.(1) The absolute risk of a MOF is calculated using the FRAX ®, a tool that incorporates various risk factors to calculate risk with or without the addition of BMD of the femoral neck as a variable. Those, without the BMD variable, having a calculated 10-year risk of a MOF of 9.3% or greater are recommended for BMD testing. A retrospective chart review was completed for patients between 2012 to 2018. We identified 128 charts and analyzed the extracted data for 113 women < 65-years with osteoporosis confirmed by BMD or fractures. MOF fracture risk calculation without BMD by FRAX of 9.3% or greater were found in 51 (45.1%) patients. Osteoporosis by T-score <-2.5 at the spine, total hip, femoral neck or distal radius was evident in 102 (90%) patients. Previous osteoporotic fractures were noted in 29 (25.7%) patients. Demographics were stratified in terms of high-risk (FRAX >= 9.3%) and low-risk (FRAX< 9.3%). The average age of women in the high-risk group was 58 years and 55 years in the low-risk group. In the high-risk group, 88.2% were Caucasian, 11.8% Hispanic, 0% African American, 0% Asian. In the low risk group, 59.7% were Caucasian, 32.3% Hispanic, 3.2% African American, 4.8% Asian. Women with MOF >9.3% were older, had more years post menopause, and had more risk factors (average 2.18 factors vs 0.61) than women with MOF <9.3%. Total hip T-score was lower in the high-risk group. The sensitivity of FRAX for identifying women with a T-score < -2.5 was 40%. The sensitivity of FRAX for identifying women with a history of fracture was 32%. The sensitivity of FRAX for identifying women with a T-score < -2.5 or identifying women with a history of fracture was 32%. These results demonstrate that the FRAX tool alone, according to USPSTF recommendation, fails to identify many women under the age of 65 with osteoporosis in need of BMD testing. Over half of women would not have had a BMD performed based on guidelines for screening BMD in women < 65. Further study is needed to characterize women under the age of 65 with osteoporosis with FRAX MOF less than 9.3%. Reference: 1. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2011). Screening for osteoporosis: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med 2011;154:356-64. Research Support: Grant to support statistical analysis from the University of Texas Health San Antonio School of Medicine Office of the Dean.
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