Substantial advances have been made recently to help clarify the optimal frequency of osteoporosis screening.  Also, recently-published studies have compared screening strategies among young postmenopausal women aged 50-64 years, older postmenopausal women, and older men. 

This session will review screening for osteoporosis in men and women from a primary care perspective.  Potential advantages and disadvantages of several screening strategies will be discussed.  Several risk assessment tools are available, including FRAX, OST, SCORE, and others.  The ability of these risk assessment tools to discriminate between individuals who do and do not fracture has been elucidated in recent large prospective cohort studies.

Significant challenges remain, including the fact that absolute fracture risk at a given BMD level is lower in younger postmenopausal women than in older women. Also, the appropriate role of widespread osteoporosis screening in young postmenopausal women and men is difficult to assess due to large evidence gaps regarding the anti-fracture efficacy and safety of pharmacologic treatment in these groups.