TORONTO, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Older women with good bone density at 65 may delay re-testing, U.S. researchers say.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine suggest the two-year screening interval -- now used for older women over age 65 -- may be extended to 10 years if a woman has a normal bone mineral density score.
"If a woman's bone density at age 67 is very good, then she doesn't need to be re-screened in two years or three years, because we're not likely to see much change," Gourlay said in a statement. "Our study found it would take about 16 years for 10 percent of women in the highest bone density ranges to develop osteoporosis."
Gourlay and colleagues analyzed data from 5,035 women age 67 and older that were collected as part of the study from 1986 to 1988 when they were age 65 or older and had bone mineral density testing about two years later. All had bone mineral density testing at least twice during the study period. Some were tested up to five times over a period of 15 years.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone Mineral Research in Toronto.
