Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP

Experts: Don't Take Unneccessary Bone Density Scans

In a recent video, MSNBC's Chief Science Correspondent Robert Bazell reports on a new osteoporosis study which recommends that women not undergo unneccessary bone density tests as they age. 

Osteoporosis specialist Dr. Ethel Cyrus agrees with study results, underscoring the importance of undergoing an initial test at age 65. "Medicare says, when you're 65, if you haven't yet had a bone density test, you should have one." 

An initial bone density scan at age 65 makes sense for women who experienced menopause around age 50. If a woman has a medical history with risk factors such as prior bone fractures, then an earlier test makes sense.

If a woman has healthy bone density at her first scan, then "the latest study finds...they don't need another test for 15 years." Dr. Margaret Gourlay of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine states, "It's unneccessary to keep screening every two or three years." Instead, Dr. Cyrus recommends that healthy patients should "get enough calcium, get enough vitamin D, be physically active," and to always keep in mind that "if something changes, you need to revisit the whole question" of gettting a bone density scan.