People with osteoporosis have bones which fracture easily

The study, by the University of East Anglia (UEA), aims to discover if screening will help reduce fractures.

The clinical trials will be carried out among Norfolk women and is funded by the Arthritis Research Campaign.

The trial team wants to find out how much screening would cost and how effective it would be in cutting the fractures occurring each year.

Currently no standard screening tool exists to check for osteoporosis.

Trial leader Dr Lee Shepstone, from UEA's School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, said: "People who are offered a scan to check for osteoporosis are often those who have already suffered a fracture.

Drugs combat bone thinning

"Given the magnitude of the public health problem posed by osteoporotic fractures - in particular hip fractures - it makes sense to undertake a community-based evaluation of screening.

"This would be followed by the offer of treatment to those at high risk of fracture."

GP surgeries in Norfolk will be involved in recruiting patients for a screening group and a "control".

The screening group will have their risk of fracture assessed through self-reported risk factors and information from bone scans at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

GPs may then recommend a course of drugs to combat bone thinning.

Those in the control group will be given what is called "usual care," which means treatment only after a fracture has occurred, or if the GP's concern about fracture is increased.

The team consider there is compelling evidence that bisphosphonate drugs can successfully decrease the incidence of osteoporotic fractures.

Recent studies of bisphosphonate compounds in osteoporotic women suggest an estimated reduction in fracture risk of around 50%.