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24 Jun 2008
A woman's risk of suffering from osteoporosis-related fractures may be predicted by performing an ultrasound examination of her heel, a new study suggests.
Research findings published in the journal Radiology show that a radiation-free ultrasound scan of the heel could be used to identify female patients who require further testing of their bone density.
Lead author of the report, Dr Idris Guessous, senior research fellow in the Department of Internal Medicine at Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland, said: "Osteoporosis is a major public health issue expected to increase in association with worldwide ageing of the population.
"Patients with osteoporosis are not optimally treated because of a lack of general awareness. A simple prediction rule might be a useful clinical tool for healthcare providers to optimise osteoporosis screening."
The study involved 6,174 women aged between 70 and 85, with no previous diagnosis of osteoporosis.
Results of the ultrasound tests indicated that 1,464 women (23.7 per cent) were considered lower risk and 4,710 (76.3 per cent) were considered higher risk.
The researchers reported that out of the higher risk group of women, 290 (6.1 per cent) developed fractures, compared to just 27 (1.8 per cent) of the women in the lower risk group. Among the 66 women who developed a hip fracture, 90 per cent were in the higher risk group.
In the European Union, statistics show that someone suffers a fracture as a result of osteoporosis every 30 seconds.
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