NOF Clarifies NEJM Study Findings

NOF Responds to Media Coverage of the New England Journal of Medicine study “Bone-Density Testing Interval and Transition to Osteoporosis in Older Women” and Encourages Current Patients to Continue Working with their Healthcare Providers to Regularly Monitor their Condition

The study published in last week’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting that frequent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) tests may not be necessary for post-menopausal women with normal or only mildly low bone mineral density (BMD) is good news, but the findings should not be misinterpreted by those already diagnosed with osteoporosis or with low BMD.

NOF advises current osteoporosis patients and those with low BMD (indicated by T-scores between -2.0 and -2.49) to continue having DXA tests every two years or as advised by a healthcare professional to monitor their condition. 

It’s also important that all post-menopausal women discuss their risk factors for osteoporosis with their healthcare provider to determine when they should receive their first DXA test.  Currently only 13 percent of Medicare beneficiaries report ever having a single DXA test, a sign that the vast majority of women aren’t getting the baseline test to inform their healthcare providers of their risk factors and determine how carefully their bone density should be tracked going forward.

Bone density tests are not the sole basis for treatment decisions, but are an important weapon in preventing the serious consequences of osteoporosis which affects nearly 44 million Americans. Working with your healthcare professional, other important risk factors, including age, should be taken into account to identify your risk for osteoporosis and fracture.

The population of the NEJM study was made up of healthy women with normal or low BMD over a wide range of values, not those with osteoporosis or prior fractures. Therefore, the guidance for osteoporosis patients remains unchanged and NOF advises women with osteoporosis to continue working with their healthcare providers to have DXA tests conducted at two-year intervals, or as recommended, to monitor their condition.