The clinical diagnosis of osteoporosis: a position statement from the National Bone Health Alliance Working Group

Osteoporosis is a common disorder of reduced bone strength that predisposes to an increased risk for fractures in older individuals. In the USA, the standard criterion for the diagnosis of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and older men is a T-score of ≤ -2.5 at the lumbar spine, femur neck, or total hip by bone mineral density testing.

Under the direction of the National Bone Health Alliance, 17 clinicians and clinical scientists were appointed to a working group charged to determine the appropriate expansion of the criteria by which osteoporosis can be diagnosed.