Osteoporosis Screening Remains Markedly Low Among At-Risk Men

A new study published in Bone finds that DXA bone scans ordered during U.S. primary care visits appear markedly low among men at risk for osteoporosis, representing a missed opportunity for early detection and fracture prevention.

The study found that DXA screening is infrequent in U.S. primary care among guideline-suggested adults. It also found that osteoporosis screening was nearly 100-fold lower in at-risk men than in women.

The study, “Underutilization of osteoporosis screening in eligible men: Analysis of the U.S. national ambulatory medical care survey,” was published on July 23, 2026.

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) from 2012 to 2019.

Authors are Laura Valenzuela-Vallejo, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Cancan Zhang, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston;  Esther Y. Liu, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Kadija Salifu, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston;  Elizabeth J. Samelson, PhD, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Musculoskeletal Research Center, Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Boston;  Harold Rosen, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Center, Division of Endocrinology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston; and Kenneth J. Mukamal, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

Osteoporosis represents a global health burden that leads to more than nine million fragility fractures each year, equivalent to one fracture occurring every three seconds. While commonly considered as a condition primarily affecting women, men account for approximately 39% of all osteoporotic fractures, and, by age 50, approximately 20% of men will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining lifetime, said Dr. Valenzuela-Vallejo.

Osteoporotic fractures are preventable; however, because the disease is typically asymptomatic, many individuals remain undiagnosed until a fracture occurs, and this problem appears to be particularly profound among men, said Dr. Mukamal. 

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