Osteoporosis is more common in women than men and this is something that is attributed to comparatively thinner bones and the post-menopausal effects. As such, osteoporosis screening is quite important among women, notably, in their post-menopausal stage of life as a way of mapping their overall risk and subsequently, help in pursuing proactive measures (Compston et al., 2014). According to the U.S Preventive Services Task Force (2011), guidelines osteoporosis screening should be done to women who are 65 years and above without any history of fractures or pre-existing causative factors of osteoporosis. Additionally, the screening guidelines for osteoporosis among women stipulate that screening should be done for women younger than the age of 65 years whose ten-year fracture risk is equal or greater to that of a 65 years old (U.S Preventive Services Task Force, 2011).
Among the strengths of this screening guideline for osteoporosis in women is that the guidelines are age-specific, meaning that they are created from a thorough understanding of the age-group where osteoporosis is common. This being the case, it helps in saving younger women who bear no significant risk of osteoporosis from undergoing regular screenings and tests. While this is the case, as an additional strength, the guidelines clearly stipulate when osteoporosis screening should be done for women younger than the age of 65 years. This means that a woman younger than the age of 65 years would not be denied to go through screening as long as she bears a risk level that warrants screening.
One of the weaknesses or limitations of the osteoporosis screening guideline is that it lacks time intervals that show the regularity over which the screening should done. According to Kling, Clarke & Sandhu (2014), as of now there is no evidence to show how often women should undergo osteoporosis screening as well as the potential harms and benefits of undergoing the screening.
Despite the fact that the guidelines bear this weakness, it is apparent that they form a sound basis for conducting osteoporosis assessment among women. The guidelines are clear on the age-bracket of women with the risk of the disease and hence can guide clinical decision-making.
References
Compston, J. E., Flahive, J., Hosmer, D. W., Watts, N. B., Siris, E. S., Silverman, S., & Nieves, J. W. (2014). Relationship of weight, height, and body mass index with fracture risk at different sites in postmenopausal women: the Global Longitudinal study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW).Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 29(2), 487-493.
Kling, J. M., Clarke, B. L., & Sandhu, N. P. (2014). Osteoporosis prevention, screening, and treatment: a review. Journal of Women's Health, 23(7), 563-572.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (2011). U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Screening for Osteoporosis: Recommendation Statement - American Family Physician. Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0515/p1197.html
