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Bone-Density Monitoring After Starting Bisphosphonates 'Cannot Be Justified'
Routinely monitoring the effect of bisphosphonate therapy on bone mineral density is costly and unwarranted, according to a BMJ study.
In a secondary analysis of FIT trial data, researchers found that density measurements within individual patients varied more than measurements between drug and placebo recipients over the first 3 years of treatment — reflecting the imprecision of bone densitometry, according to an editorialist.
The researchers found that 97.5% of patients showed clinically beneficial increases in hip density (0.019 g per square centimeter or more) after 3 years of treatment.
An editorialist concludes: "Routine monitoring ... during the first few years of antiresorptive treatment cannot be justified because it may ... lead to inappropriate management decisions and waste scarce healthcare resources."
LINK(S):
BMJ article (Free)
BMJ editorial (Subscription required)
Published in Physician's First Watch June 24, 2009
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