Clinicians should urge smokers to quit and encourage patients to drink only in moderation, Dr. Regan, who wasn’t involved in the study, says by email.
Former smokers need to be tested for bone density, Dr. Regan advised.
“This is not screening, which implies a healthy population being tested for a condition, but rather testing a set of people who are known to be at risk of a disease,” Dr. Regan says.
Current smokers need to have comprehensive assessment for the medical effects of smoking on their health, Dr. Regan also adviseds.
“That should include lung cancer screening, lung function tests, cardiovascular assessment and obviously tests for bone density,” Dr. Regan says. “Using that additional information about smoking effects in their unique situation they need personalized counseling as opposed to generic ‘stop smoking’ advice to assist them in stopping smoking.”
Reference
- Swayambunathan J, Dasgupta A, Rosenberg PS, et al. Incidence of hip fracture over four decades in the Framingham heart study. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 Jul 27. Online ahead of print.
