Common Questions
Does the cost-effective intervention threshold for osteoporosis treatment differ between races?
The cost-effective intervention threshold is about the same for all races despite having marked differences in relative risk for fracture (1). The absolute 10-year hip fracture probability at which intervention is cost-effective is about 3% for all races. The two figures below illustrate the cost-effective intervention threshold for different races at different ages for each gender.
Figure 1. Absolute 10-year hip fracture risk by age and race at which it is cost-effective to treat (shown by lines) and average 10-year hip fracture risk by age and and race (shown by colored vertical bars) for women and men in the United States. (Adapted from Tosteson et al.2008)
- Tosteson ANA, Melton III LJ, Dawson-Hughes B, Baim S, Favus MJ, Khosia S, Lindsay RL. Cost-effective osteoporosis treatment thresholds: the United States perspective. Osteoporosis International 2008; 19: 437-448.