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We're talking about early medical intervention this week on Health Watch. Although the problems related to osteoporosis show up later in life, doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say this is a condition women need to be thinking about much earlier.

Dr. Kimberly Mezera, an orthopaedic surgeon at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says it's important for women to have bone density scans. These scans allow doctors to determine which women are more at risk for weakened bones so medications can be prescribed that slow the progress of the disease. Most women need a baseline bone density scan in their early 50s, but women who are at higher risk due to family history may need to get a scan in their early 40s. Women who have gone through menopause are at much higher risk and need to be vigilant about bone density scans.

 

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^April 2006

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