title: Screening for low bone mineral density with quantitative ultrasound within the primary health care system.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To screen risk groups for low bone mineral density by quantitative ultrasound in primary health care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Risk categories for osteoporosis (a fragility fracture, malabsorption, immobilisation, inflammatory joint disease, glucocorticoid, fenantoin or thyroxin treatment, renal insufficiency or "miscellaneous"), 775 women and 179 men aged between 40 and 93 were measured.
  
  
  METHODS
  Calcaneus quantitative ultrasound stiffness index T-score below -2.5 standard deviation (SD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  41% of women and 24% of men and more than 80% of women and 50% of men over the age of 80, within the risk groups, had a stiffness index T-score below -2.5 SD. All over 80 years with a fragility fracture had a stiffness index T-score below -2.5 SD. Men aged 50-59 within the risk groups had lower stiffness index T-scores than controls (-1.4 versus -0.6, p = 0.05). Individuals with a fragility fracture had lower stiffness index T-scores than controls, women aged 70-79 years (-3.1 versus -2.4, p < 0.05) and men aged 60-69 years (-2.3 versus -1.2, p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quantitative ultrasound calcaneus used in gender-specific, diagnosis-specific and age-specific cohorts can capture individuals with low bone mass.
authors.affiliation: Primary Health Care Centre, Lyckeby, Sweden.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blivik
authors.forename: Magnus K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.forename: Margareta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Möller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015519:Bone Density; D002111:Calcaneus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden; D014463:Ultrasonography