From the Journals

Hip T scores can guide duration of osteoporosis therapy


 

FROM THE JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH

A treat-to-target approach using total hip T scores could help guide decisions about how long women with osteoporosis should stay on bone-building therapy, according to Serge Ferrari, MD, and his colleagues.

Using 10 years of follow-up data from 1,343 women who took denosumab in the FREEDOM trial, Dr. Ferrari and his colleagues determined that a T score of at least –2.5 would be an appropriate target for this decision.

“A T-score unit increase of 1.0 was associated with a significant reduction in fracture risk for T scores up to, but no greater than, –2.0, suggesting that a T-score threshold of at least –2.0 would be an appropriate target for therapy to maximize treatment,” said Dr. Ferrari of the University of Geneva and his colleagues. “Further improvements in bone mineral density were not associated with major additional changes in 1-year nonvertebral fracture incidence.”

The findings “highlight the importance of the relationship between hip T score and fracture risk, which is maintained during long-term therapy with denosumab. Regular monitoring of bone mineral density during therapy may be useful to determine when fracture risk has reached a minimal threshold; treatment could therefore be suspended and/or consolidated, as in the case of a reversible therapy such as denosumab.”

SOURCE: Ferrari S et al. J Bone Miner Res. 2019 Mar 28. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.3722.

Recommended Reading

New secondary fracture–prevention recommendations carry simple messages
Clinician Reviews
Bisphosphonate holiday may help to reduce atypical femur fracture risk
Clinician Reviews
Antidepressants tied to greater hip fracture incidence in older adults
Clinician Reviews
FDA committee votes yes on romosozumab for osteoporosis
Clinician Reviews
Frailty, diabetes increase fragility fracture risk
Clinician Reviews
TNF inhibitors improve BMD in ankylosing spondylitis
Clinician Reviews
Exercise type matters for fall prevention among elderly
Clinician Reviews
Simple screening for risk of falling in elderly can guide prevention
Clinician Reviews
New postmenopausal osteoporosis guidelines emphasize patient priorities
Clinician Reviews
Think ‘fall prevention’ in SLE patients
Clinician Reviews