[The value of bone density measurement--a follow-up of the conclusions in the earlier SBU report].

Osteoporotic fractures are common primarily among elderly Swedish women. Vertebral compression fractures can occur spontaneously without trauma, while wrist and hip fractures are nearly always the result of trauma. The risk of fracture increases in skeletal wasting. If bone density measurement can demonstrate osteoporosis already before fractures occur, then preventive measures could be set in. The present study, which is a systematic review of articles published from 1994 to the spring of 1998, confirms the conclusions of the 1995 report "Bone Density Measurement" from SBU, the Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care, that the relative risk of fracture can be predicted utilizing bone density measurement. The best risk assessment is achieved by taking into account both clinical risk factors and bone density.