Patti Paczos, PA
Millions of women with osteoporosis often go undiagnosed until their brittle bones begin to break. Cleveland Clinic rheumatologist Chad L. Deal, M.D., wants to avoid these debilitating fractures by encouraging selective bone density screening of women who are at higher risk.
Dr. Deal, formerly of Case Western Reserve University, joined the staff at the Cleveland Clinic in February, 1999 to establish the Center for Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease. “Each year, osteoporosis leads to 1.5 million fractures and 50,000 deaths. With the advent of new therapies to treat osteoporosis at early stages, these numbers could be drastically reduced by selective screening of women most at risk,” says Dr. Deal.
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue. It is most common among white post-menopausal women – half of whom over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture. However it also occurs in men of all races.
Dr. Deal said the new center will provide dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) – the gold standard for bone density testing – at the Clinic’s main campus.
“Part of the center’s mission is to educate the public and primary care physicians about who most needs to have a bone density test and to encourage screening and prevention,” says Dr. Deal. “People who have a family history of osteoporosis, who smoke, who have a low body weight (< 127 pounds) or who have had fragility fractures after age 50 are at greater risk. Patients on prednisone for medical conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and other conditions are also at risk. They and their primary care physicians should be discussing preventive measures, such as calcium supplements, vitamin D, exercise and smoking cessation programs as well as testing for bone density and treating when appropriate.”
