Routine screening for osteoporosis should include all younger postmenopausal women who have the same chance of a bone break as an older woman, a government group said yesterday.
The Preventive Services Task Force said in 2002 that all women over 65, plus those 60 to 64 at higher risk for fractures, should get a bone density test.
The group now says all younger postmenopausal women should get checked if their risk of a broken bone is the same or greater than the average 65-year-old woman. Factors that can increase risk include low weight, certain drugs, smoking, heavy alcohol use and a parent who broke a hip.