Osteoporosis

About osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone is reduced, increasing the risk of fracture. It affects around one in three women and one in five men around the world.

Osteoporosis, which literally means "porous bone", is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced. As the bones become more porous and fragile, the risk of fracture is greatly increased. The loss of bone occurs "silently" and progressively. Often there are no symptoms until the first fracture occurs. The most common fractures associated with osteoporosis occur at the hip, spine and wrist. The incidence of these fractures, particularly at the hip and spine, increases with age in both women and men.

Of notable concern are vertebral (spinal) and hip fractures. Vertebral fractures can result in serious consequences, including loss of height, intense back pain and deformity. A hip fracture often requires surgery and may result in loss of independent living.

The good news is that osteoporosis is now a largely treatable condition and, with a combination of lifestyle changes and appropriate medical treatment, many fractures can be avoided.

The importance of early diagnosis

Osteoporosis

Men and women over 60 are at higher risk of osteoporosis than younger people. Nevertheless, it is possible to have osteopenia (low bone mass) or osteoporosis at a much earlier age. As osteoporosis has no obvious symptoms other than a fracture when the bone is already significantly weakened, it is important to go to your doctor if any of the risk factors apply to you. By making positive lifestyle changes and following appropriate treatment strategies in consultation with a doctor, osteoporotic fractures can be prevented. Your doctor will take a thorough medical history that includes information on any recent fractures and may determine that the next step is to have a bone mineral density (BMD) test.


Lunar iDXA

BMD test

Traditional X-rays can’t measure bone density, but they can identify spine fractures. Bone mineral density (BMD) has to be measured by more specialized techniques. A number of different types of BMD tests are available, but the most commonly used is DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry).

A DXA scan is used to measure spine and hip bone density, and is the most common technique for assessing the risk of osteoporosis.


Clinical Guidelines

The World Health Organization has defined a number of threshold values for osteoporosis. The reference measurement is derived from bone density measurements in a population of healthy young adults. Osteoporosis is diagnosed when a person’s BMD is more than 2.5 times below this reference measurement. Osteopenia is diagnosed when the measurement is between 1 and 2.5 times below the young adult reference measurement.

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Status

     

Hip BMD

 

 

Normal

 

T-score of -1 or above

 

 

Osteopenia

 

T-score lower than -1 and greater than -2.5

 

 

Osteoporosis

 

T-score of -2.5 or lower

 

 

Severe osteoporosis

 

T-score of -2.5 or lower, and presence of at least one fragility fracture

 

If the results of your BMD test show osteopenia or osteoporosis, it does not automatically mean that you will have a fracture. There are lifestyle changes and a number of available therapies that your doctor might prescribe to slow down bone loss and help prevent fractures.

 

Source: International Osteoporosis Foundation