England updates osteoporosis diagnosis guidance to improve treatment rates

Medical experts in England have warned that too few people are being diagnosed with osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones fragile and easy to break. Over three million people in the UK are affected, and many only find out they have it after suffering a fracture.

Updated guidance from NICE now recommends that doctors check for hidden spine fractures during the same appointment as a bone density scan for adults aged 50 and over. Experts also confirmed that a scan is not always necessary. Older patients, such as women over 64 who have already broken a vertebra, can be diagnosed and treated without one.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society has called for better Fracture Liaison Services across the country by 2030, so that more patients who receive a diagnosis actually go on to receive treatment.