Context

Osteoporosis is a major clinical problem affecting 12 million people over the age of 50 in the USA and 3 million people in the UK. Each year, ∼70 000 individuals in the UK will sustain hip fractures. Half of the female population with osteoporosis will sustain an osteoporotic-related fracture during their lifetimes. The treatment costs of osteoporotic fractures in the UK are estimated at over one billion pounds annually, and thus, the incentives for prevention are understandably high. The US Preventive Services Task Force considers dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning as the gold standard for screening and recommends …