The Spanish Association for the Study of Menopause (AEEM – Asociación Española para el Estudio de la Menopausia) has developed a new practical guide to update the criteria for the diagnosis and clinical treatment of osteoporosis.

According to its authors, including Dr. Pascual García Alfaro, head of the Menopause Unit at Dexeus Mujer, the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) is insufficient to perform a good management of osteoporosis, since the presence of fractures has been demonstrated in women without densitometric criteria for osteoporosis, so other factors should be considered, such as age, the presence of fragility fractures (especially in the hip, vertebral or wrist), a history of hip fracture in a first-degree relative and / or diseases and drugs that may be associated with the development of osteoporosis, such as digestive disorders that alter intestinal absorption, hormonal alterations, haematological and / or neoplastic, metabolic diseases, or the use of aromatase inhibitors and glucocorticoids.

The guide reviews the different techniques to measure BMD and offers guidelines for performing densitometric controls. It also lists the systems for assessing the risk of fractures and provides up-to-date information on the anti-fracture efficacy of the main treatments used. Likewise, it presents the risk factors, determines the indication for hormonal treatment in post-menopausal women, and assesses other emerging therapies.

Finally, it establishes a set of conclusions on the diagnosis and treatment of the disease that includes an assessment of recommendation by the experts based on the degree of consensus.