Test Could Help in Treating Bone Condition

CHICAGO — A new test could help predict a woman’s susceptibility to osteoporosis and determine how best to treat the bone-weakening malady that ranks third as a cause of death among women over 50, doctors say.

Osteoporosis, a deterioration of bone that can lead to life-threatening pelvic fractures and spinal deformities, is most often triggered by the onset of menopause, usually between the ages of 47 and 50.

Menopause greatly reduces the ovaries’ production of the hormone estrogen, which stimulates production of the calcium needed to maintain healthy bones.

What the new test promises is a simple method of determining a woman’s susceptibility to osteoporosis by simulating menopause before its actual onset and measuring the effects on calcium levels.

That knowledge would enable doctors to determine if estrogen therapy is required and how aggressive that treatment should be.

The test, reported in today’s Journal of the American Medical Assn., could be available in five or six years if research involving human subjects proves successful, said Gary Hodgen, who developed the test with Dr. Rafat Abbasi.