Abstract
Osteoporosis becomes an important medical and public health issue as the population gets older. Fragility fractures caused by osteoporosis can lead to long-term disability and deaths as well as enormous social costs. Although prevention and treatment of osteoporosis are clinically important, only one-third of high-risk fracture patients receive adequate diagnosis and treatment. Osteoporosis risk factor assessment is free, convenient and capable of enhancing the performance of bone mineral density (BMD) in perdicting hip fractures; its use in screening osteoporosis is promising. Densitometry such as Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, quantitative ultrasonography, and quantitative computed tomography have been developed to quantify BMD that reflects bone strength and to detect osteoporosis. The World Health Organization has introduced the FRAX(superscript TM) tool that integrates clinical risk factors as well as femoral BMD to calculate 10-year probability of a hip and of any major osteoporosis-related fractures. FRAX(superscript TM) can help target persons with low bone mass or co-morbid conditions that increase fracture risks for intervention. Biochemical indices detect bone turnover earlier than BMD and may help in the assessment of fracture risk. Screening in high-risk group can benefit from the above-listed tools and guidelines, but studies on the effectiveness of osteoporosis screening in general population remain limited. Further investigations should be performed to develop the local screening guideline in Taiwan.
| Translated title of the contribution | Preventive Screening of Osteoporotic Fracture |
|---|---|
| Original language | Chinese (Traditional) |
| Pages (from-to) | 64-77 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | 台灣老年醫學暨老年學雜誌 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |
