Elderly African-American and Caucasian men are infrequently screened for osteoporosis.
BACKGROUND
To retrospectively examine the factors that initiated a request for dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in elderly males in a rheumatology practice and to determine if there were differences between African Americans and Caucasians,


METHODS
The records of 98 consecutive male patients in the rheumatology clinic were reviewed for demographic data and risk factors and treatment for osteoporosis. DXA results were noted and classified as normal, osteopenic or osteoporotic.


RESULTS
There were 59 (60%) African Americans, 38 (39%) Caucasians and one (1%) Native American included for study. Fourteen patients had DXA-three (5%) among the African Americans and 11 (29%) among the Caucasians. Age was not found to be a significant predictor of obtaining DXA. Caucasians were 7.69 times more likely to have a DXA than African Americans. After adjusting for ethnicity, oral glucocorticoid use and rheumatoid arthritis were significant predictors of obtaining a DXA, although only 31% and 35% of patients on glucocorticoids or with rheumatoid arthritis, respectively, had DXA. Using a logistic regression model, ethnicity (odds ratio 4.61) remained the only significant predictor of requests for DXA.


CONCLUSIONS
Male patients infrequently had DXA despite the presence of well-established risk factors for osteoporosis. Compared to Caucasians, fewer African Americans were screened even in the presence of similar risk factors for osteoporosis.
Richards
J Steuart
JS
Rheumatology Section, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC 20422, USA. john.richards2@med.va.gov
Young
Heather A
HA
DeSagun
Robert
R
Kerr
Gail S
GS
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003720:Densitometry; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*