Hormone replacement therapy: compliance and cost after screening for osteoporosis.
OBJECTIVE
To assess HRT compliance and cost 1 year after population screening for low bone density.


METHODS
Postal questionnaire sent out to women 1 year after having a bone density scan.


METHODS
Compliance with HRT, type of HRT and cost.


RESULTS
Compliance with HRT after screening for women with low bone density was 48% for postmenopausal women and 59% for women with a simple hysterectomy. The most often used form of HRT was Estraderm (49%) for women with a hysterectomy, whilst for women with an intact uterus Prempak-C (54%) was the most popular. The average annual cost of treating women who had had a hysterectomy was 67 pounds whilst for women with an intact uterus it was 61 pounds, a non-significant difference.


CONCLUSIONS
Approximately 50% of women with low bone density had started HRT within 1 year of having a densitometry examination. Previous reports of the cost advantage of treating women who had had a hysterectomy relative to those who had not has been overstated.
Torgerson
D J
DJ
Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Scotland, UK.
Donaldson
C
C
Russell
I T
IT
Reid
D M
DM
D015519:Bone Density; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D017698:Postmenopause; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires