RDUSA201905

to help you decide whether you need
one or are at risk for a fracture in the
next ten years.

Men Also Need to Get
Tested (Some Younger
People Do Too)

Osteoporosis isn’t just a woman’s
disease. Don, now 74, a retiree in the
Clearwater, Florida, area (he asked us
not to use his last name), was diag-
nosed with osteoporosis at age 44 de-
spite an active lifestyle that included
daily walks and 40 miles of weekly
bicycling. “I had strained my back,
and X-rays of my spine showed that
it was deteriorating,” he says. “It runs
in my family, though
I think I’m the only
man who inherited
osteoporosis.”
Scientists don’t
know why, but men
have a higher risk for
death after a hip frac-
ture caused by osteo-
porosis than women
do. So it’s especially
important for men
to get scanned and
treated if necessary.
Don’s DXA scan re-
sults improved after
a year of bisphos-
phonate treatment.
“I had stomach prob-
lems with daily pills,
but a weekly pill was

OK,” he says. “Now I focus on healthy

eating, take vitamins D and K and cal-

cium, and walk every day. My bone

density is staying stable.”

Don’s story also demonstrates that

younger people are at increasing risk.

While osteoporosis is most common

in women over 60 and men over 70,

a 2018 University of Nevada study

found that the average density of the

thighbones of Americans as young as

30 was significantly lower in 2014 than

in 2005.

Too much sitting and too little ac-

tivity are likely the top reasons for the

decline, the researchers concluded.

But there are other surprising risk fac-

tors: weight-loss surgery, diabetes,

breast cancer, and

air pollution are all

associated with bone

problems, as are

androgen-deprivation

therapy (used to treat

prostate cancer) and

corticosteroids (used

to treat rheumatoid

arthritis).

Supplements

Alone Aren’t

Enough

A study found that

about three in ten

postmenopausal

women believe that

simply drinking milk

or taking calcium

rd.com 95

Health

The number of private

doctors with DXA

scanners dropped by

26%

after Medicare

reduced its

reimbursements.