"Change in bone mineral density as a function of age in women
and men and association with the use of antiresorptive agents"
Older women and men experience increasing rates of hip fracture
because of the age-related acceleration in bone loss. David
Goltzman and colleagues studied a large cohort of Canadians and
found that antiresorptive medication attenuates this loss. The
authors found that even among women aged 50-54, the range within
which the greatest bone loss was noted, the rate was only 1.3%
per year. This finding is consistent with rates of loss reported
among women in other longitudinal studies. The authors also note
that a loss of 1.3% is within the margin of error of most bone
densitometry machines. "The extent of the bone loss that we
observed suggests that repeat measurements of bone density could
be delayed to intervals of up to 5 years in the absence of other
risk factors," conclude the authors. In a related commentary,
Dr. Mark Cooper, Department of Endocrinology, Division of
Medical Sciences,