ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 0574

Osteoporosis in Elderly Men; An Underestimated and Underdiagnosed Morbid Entity

Arash Mollaeian1 and Stanley Ballou2, 1Metro Health Medical Center/Case Western Reserve University, Rocky River, OH, 2Case Western Reserve University - Metro Health, Cleveland, OH

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2022

Keywords: Aging, Disparities, Fracture, osteoporosis, race/ethnicity

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Session Information

Date: Sunday, November 13, 2022

Title: Abstracts: Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease – Basic and Clinical Science

Session Type: Abstract Session

Session Time: 8:00AM-9:00AM

Background/Purpose: 20-25% of osteoporosis-related fractures occur in men and the mortality of osteoporotic fractures is higher in men [1]. Nevertheless, no uniform consensus exists for osteoporosis screening in men. The United States Preventive Services Task Force doesn’t recommend a specific age for osteoporosis screening in men [2]. Many other expert groups recommend osteoporosis screening for men 70 years and older [3-6].

Despite these recommendations, osteoporosis in this population remains underdiagnosed and undermanaged. We opted to study the rates of osteoporosis screening in elderly men in a large academic center, and further evaluate for potential racial disparities.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study from a large urban academic medical center in Cleveland (the MetroHealth System). We evaluated the frequency of bone mineral density (BMD) scans performed in men and women aged 65 and above from 2010 through 2021. To further refine the data, we limited the data to the years of 2010, 2018 and 2021, and compared the data among three races (White, Black and Asian). Next, we further categorized the data in three age categories of 65 to 75, 75 to 85 and 85 and above. We also gathered data for hip fractures in the same cohort during the same years. Data from other minority groups and other fractures were excluded due to lack of sufficient data and potential inaccuracy.

Results: The prevalence of BMD scan in women was 8.65%, while it was only 0.82% for men in our cohort. When looking at the data for 2010, 2018 and 2021, the same pattern was observed with BMD scan rates of below 1% in men and 7-10 % in women. A similar pattern of BMD scans was observed looking at three different age categories. The total rate of hip fracture was 4.1% in women, and 3% in men. Age-specific hip fracture rates in men and women were mostly similar.

Asian women and men had higher rates of BMD scan compared to Blacks and Whites. However, no significant difference was observed in rates of BMD scan between Blacks and Whites. BMD scan rates declined in men from 2010 to 2018, and did not improve from 2018 to 2021. When analyzing data of hip fracture in the three races, no significant difference in rates of hip fracture was observed between Whites, Blacks and Asians.

Conclusion: Our study underscores the profoundly lower osteoporosis screening rates in men compared to women in a large academic center in Cleveland, United States. This is while hip fracture rate was only slightly lower in men than women.

Osteoporosis screening in minority groups of Blacks and Asians seems to be proportionate to the total patient population served by MetroHealth Medical Center, without significant difference between the three races. Also, no specific trend of hip fracture was observed between men in three races. On average the highest rates of BMD scans in men were observed in Asian men, while the overall lowest rate was seen in White men.

Our study is limited due to the retrospective nature and potential minor inaccuracy of data. However, the extremely low BMD scan rates despite relatively high rates of hip fracture in men are eye opening and should prompt further dedicated research in larger populations, hopefully leading to and unification of improved osteoporosis guidelines in elderly men.

Supporting image 1

BMD scan and hip fracture rates in men and women from 2010 through 2021.

Supporting image 2

BMD scan and hip fracture rates in women and men based on race

Supporting image 3

Total and race-specific rates of BMD scan and hip fracture in women and men from 2010 through 2021.


Disclosures: A. Mollaeian, None; S. Ballou, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Mollaeian A, Ballou S. Osteoporosis in Elderly Men; An Underestimated and Underdiagnosed Morbid Entity [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2022; 74 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/osteoporosis-in-elderly-men-an-underestimated-and-underdiagnosed-morbid-entity/. Accessed .
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

« Back to ACR Convergence 2022

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/osteoporosis-in-elderly-men-an-underestimated-and-underdiagnosed-morbid-entity/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology