Facial wrinkles may predict a woman's risk of osteoporosis

A prescription to buy Fosamax or other bone-building medications can help women with osteoporosis limit their risk of suffering a fracture. However, diagnosing the condition can be a difficult challenge for healthcare professionals.

A new study suggests that it may be possible to tell if a woman is likely to have brittle bones simply by checking the severity of her facial wrinkles. The findings may give doctors an easy method for diagnosing osteoporosis risk and make it simpler for them to recommend that their patient buy Fosamax.

For the study, researchers from the Yale School of Medicine measured the bone density of more than 100 women and analyzed their facial features for wrinkles. The results showed that those who had more wrinkles were more likely to have weakened bones.

"If this is the case, then including the study of skin wrinkles to other clinical risk factors may allow identification of fracture risk in populations that do not have access to more costly technology," said Lubna Pal, who led the investigation.