A simple urine test before a woman reaches menopause may predict her risk of bone fracture, researchers report.
Several indicators of bone deterioration are known to be associated with fracture, but only women over age 65 and older men are routinely tested for them. Now, researchers report that levels of a substance called cross-linked N-telopeptide of Type 1 collagen, or NTX, which is released into the urine when bones weaken, can predict the risk for future fracture in premenopausal, asymptomatic women.
In a prospective analysis published online in the journal Menopause, the scientists studied 2,305 healthy premenopausal women ages 42 to 52, measuring NTX at the start of the study and following them for an average of more than seven years. During that period, 184 of them suffered at least one fracture.
