Screening could catch a quarter of hip fractures before they happen

Community screening for osteoporosis could prevent more than a quarter of hip fractures in older women - according to new research involving researchers from the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol and local hospitals, and led by the University of East Anglia (UEA). The study, published today in The Lancet, reveals that a simple questionnaire, combined with bone mineral density measurements for some, would help identify those at risk of hip fracture. The research, which involved more than 12,000 older women, found that screening through GP practices allowed patients to be targeted for treatment. In women agreeing to participate, this led to a 28 per cent reduction in hip fractures over five years. Lead researcher Professor Lee Shepstone, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "Approximately one in three women and one in five men aged over 50 year will suffer a fragility fracture during their remaining lifetime. In the UK around 536,000 people suffer fragility fractures each year, including 79,000 hip fractures. "A hip fracture can be devastating with a loss of independence and less than one third of patients make a full recovery.