WebMD Medical News Laura J. Martin, MD Oct. 17, 2010 -- Women
aged 65 and older are advised to undergo bone mineral density
(BMD) screening every two years, but those with normal results
at age 67 may be able to wait 10 years before their next
screening test, a new study suggests. Researchers say the
10-year interval is OK because the women’s risk of developing
the brittle bone disease osteoporosis in that time is low. The
new findings are slated to be presented at the annual meeting of
the American Society for Bone Mineral Research in Toronto. "If a
woman's bone density at age 67 is very good, then she doesn't
need to be re-screened in two years or three years, because
we're not likely to see much change," says study author Margaret
L. Gourlay, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, in a news release. "Our study found it would take
about 16 years for 10 percent of women in the highest bone
density ranges to develop osteoporosis. That was longer than we
expected, and it's great news for