The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared a new automated blood test to help prevent and treat New Automated Blood Test Helps Prevent and Treat Osteoporosis | Bone Disease News | Imaginis - The Women's Health & Wellness Resource Network

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New Automated Blood Test Helps Prevent and Treat Osteoporosis


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared a new automated blood test to help prevent and treat osteoporosis and Paget�s disease, two severe bone diseases.  The new blood test measures a patient�s bone metabolism and helps determine whether significant bone loss has occurred or if a particular osteoporosis therapy (such as hormone replacement therapy) is working effectively. 

According to Beckman Coulter, Inc., the maker of the Access Ostase blood test, the automated blood test can produce results in little as 20 minutes, compared to a few hours required with manual blood tests.  The automated blood test is less expensive than bone mineral density tests such as DEXA or ultrasound and can be used to assess the rate of bone metabolism in three to six months after osteoporosis treatment begins.