|
Bone Health
Osteoporosis is a silent, progressive disease characterized by decreased bone density, increased bone fragility and greater risk of fracture. Because you can’t see or feel it, many people don't know they have experienced bone loss until they break a bone.
|
|
|
In the United States:
- Over 28 million people are at high risk
- More than 50% of people over the age of 55 are at increased risk
- Up to 1.5 million fractures a year are due to osteoporosis
Women are at greater risk:
- One third of Caucasian women over 50 have osteoporosis, nearly 80% remain undiagnosed.
- After menopause, a woman's risk of an osteoporotic spine or femur fracture is 30% or three times that of a man's.
Bone densitometry is an essential tool in managing your bone health and can monitor the effects of age, diet or treatments on your bone density status.
|
About
GE Healthcare is the world's leading provider of bone densitometers. Bone mineral densitometry tests, or BMD, determine the amount of calcium and other minerals in your bones and assists doctors in diagnosing osteoporosis and monitoring your progress during therapy. Doctors use bone densitometry to categorize patients as normal, osteopenic, or osteoporotic
| Normal bone |
|
Osteoporotic bone |
| |
|
|
 |
|
 |
To learn more visit iVillage Total Health Bone Health Center
|
How it works
BMD tests come in different formats: a full-body scan or a simple heel test.
A full body scan is often called a DXA, short for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Bone Mineral Densitometry systems send an invisible beam of low-dose X-ray through the bones being examined. Based on how much of the X-ray energy is absorbed by soft tissue versus how much is absorbed by bone, your bone mineral density is calculated. The X-ray dose from the bone densitometry test is comparable to the naturally occurring radiation you are exposed to in one week.
While the DXA scan is the standard of care for bone densitometry, an ultrasound-based heel test can also provide a measure of osteoporotic fracture risk.
View the Patient Channel video "Osteoporoses: Strength for Life"
|
More questions?
Who should get a bone density test and
when?
As always, consult your doctor to determine when you should be tested. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) Guidelines suggest that BMD testing should be conducted on:
- All women aged 65 and older regardless of risk factors
- Younger postmenopausal women with one or more risk factors (other than being white, postmenopausal and female).
- Postmenopausal women who present with fractures (to confirm the diagnosis and determine disease severity).
What can I expect during my bone densitometry test?
The DXA bone densitometer is a large, padded and comfortable examination table. You will be asked to lie on your back, remaining in your normal clothing in most cases. The operator will position your arms and legs for the test, which is painless and typically takes one to ten minutes. You just need to lie still and breathe normally.
What information will the test give my doctor?
Physicians utilize bone densitometry to categorize patients as normal, osteopenic, or osteoporotic following the World Health Organization (WHO) classifications. The patient's T-score (comparison to the young adult reference) is the critical variable in diagnosis. Typically, both femurs and the spine are assessed, with the diagnosis made using the lowest T-score. Patient examination, in addition to the T-score, is key to diagnosing osteoporosis.
Where can I get more information about bone measurements and osteoporosis?
Many great resources exist on the internet including:
|
Find a facility
Looking for a healthcare facility in your area with GE Healthcare's innovative technologies?
Click here to find local facilities that use GE Healthcare products.
|
|
|