Earlier bone-loss treatment suggested

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http://www.suntimes.com/output/health/cst-nws-bone25.html

A study suggests some women might benefit from taking bone-boosting drugs

earlier than many doctors recommend, because they can break bones well

before they develop full-fledged osteoporosis.

The study involved 149,524 white postmenopausal women, age 65 on average,

who had bone density scans. Of the 2,259 who broke bones during the

following year, 82 percent had initial bone-density scores indicating

thinning bones but not osteoporosis.

Only 18 percent of women with fractures scored at or above the threshold

many doctors use to define osteoporosis and prescribe drugs.

The study was led by Dr. Ethel Siris at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center

and included researchers from Merck & Co., which makes the osteoporosis drug

Fosamax and funded the study. A Merck doctor participated in a committee

that oversaw the study design and analysis. AP