DEXA: Gold Standard in Determining Bone Density

DEXAA bone density test assesses the mineral content of your bone, an indicator of your bone’s strength. Bone density is classified as normal, low (associated with a condition known as osteopenia), or significantly low (associated with having osteoporosis).

Osteoporosis is considered a silent disease because there are usually no symptoms until a fracture occurs. Essentially, knowing your bone density is akin to knowing your fracture risk.

That’s why it’s important to check bone density. Treatments are available, if needed, to improve bone density and subsequently lower fracture risk.

Risk Factors for Osteoporosis
• Being female
• Advanced age
• Being Caucasian or Asian
• Low bone mass
• Being thin or having a small frame
• A sedentary lifestyle
• A family history of osteoporosis
• Estrogen deficiency as a result of menopause, especially early or surgically induced
• Anorexia nervosa
• Use of certain medications
• Cigarette smoking
• Excessive alcohol intake

Who Should Be Tested?
Generally, bone density testing is recommended for women between ages 50 and 65 with risk factors for osteoporosis and for all women over the age of 65. Also, men and women taking certain medications (e.g., corticosteroids) or those with certain diseases (e.g., rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis) have an increased risk of osteoporosis and may be referred for bone density testing by their doctor. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends getting a bone density test if you fit any of the following categories:
• woman age 65 or older
• man age 70 or older
• broke a bone after age 50
• woman of menopausal age with risk factors
• postmenopausal woman under age 65 with risk factors
• man age 50-69 with risk factor

A bone density test may be necessary if you have:
• an x-ray of your spine showing a break or bone loss  in your spine
• back pain with a possible fracture in your spine
• height loss of half inch or more within one year
• total height loss of 1.5 inches from your original height

The gold standard test for bone density is called a DEXA scan
A DEXA scan (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) is a bone density test that assesses whether you have normal bone density, low bone density (also referred to as osteopenia), or osteoporosis. Typically, a DEXA scan measures your bone density at the hip or spine, which is where most osteoporosis-related fractures occur.

DEXA is considered the most accurate test for bone density.

While standard x-rays show changes in bone density after about 40% of bone loss, a DEXA scan can detect changes after about a 1% change. A DEXA scan lasts about 10 minutes and exposes the patient to less radiation than a standard chest x-ray (about the same amount of radiation exposure as taking a trans-continental flight).

What Is It Like to Have a DEXA Scan?
A DEXA scan is painless and doesn’t take a lot of time.

You lie on your back on an imaging table and a mechanical device (the scanner) passes over your body. The DEXA scan emits a very low level of radiation, about one-tenth of the radiation that you get with a chest x-ray. The test takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

A DEXA scan is recommended if you have had spine x-rays showing a break or bone loss, back pain that may be related to spine fracture, or height loss (one half-inch or more within a year or 1-1/2 inches from total height).

What Does a DEXA Scan Show?
A DEXA scan detects weak or brittle bones before you have a fracture. The DEXA scan, when compared to previous DEXA scan results, indicates whether your bone density is improving, worsening, or staying the same. The score helps to predict your chance of fracture in the future, and perhaps the need for osteoporosis medication. It helps determine if your osteoporosis medication is working.

After a fracture occurs, a DEXA scan can assess if it was likely due to osteoporosis.

Medicare usually pays for bone density testing every two years. Many doctors order the test with that frequency. But, researchers now say that a 2-year re-test interval may not be necessary for most patients.

Your doctor will consider your age, osteoporosis risk factors, diseases and conditions, and the medications which you take routinely, when recommending when you should have your initial bone density test and how often to re-test. Follow your doctor’s orders.

NDIC
239-593-4222
www.NaplesImaging.com

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