what tools are used to diagnose osteoporosis?
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To diagnose osteoporosis and assess your risk of fracture and determine your need for treatment, your doctor will most likely order a bone density scan. This exam is used to measure bone mineral density (BMD). It is most commonly performed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA or DEXA) or bone densitometry.
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Treating osteoporosis involves treating and preventing fractures, and using medicines to strengthen bones. Although a diagnosis of osteoporosis is based on the results of your bone density scan, the decision about what treatment you need, if any, is based on a number of other factors including your: age. sex.
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['Your sex. Women are much more likely to develop osteoporosis than are men.', 'Age. The older you get, the greater your risk of osteoporosis.', 'Race. ... ', 'Family history. ... ', 'Body frame size.']
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The difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis is that in osteopenia the bone loss is not as severe as in osteoporosis. That means someone with osteopenia is more likely to fracture a bone than someone with a normal bone density but is less likely to fracture a bone than someone with osteoporosis.
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Women over the age of 50 are the most likely people to develop osteoporosis. The condition is 4 times as likely in women than men. Women's lighter, thinner bones and longer life spans are part of the reason they have a higher risk.
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A few basic facts: Osteoporosis is a bone disease in which the amount and quality of the bone is reduced, leading to fractures (broken bones). Osteoporosis produces no pain or other symptoms unless a fracture has occurred. Arthritis (arth = joint; itis = inflammation) is a disease of the joints and surrounding tissue.
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But once your bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, you might have signs and symptoms that include: Back pain, caused by a fractured or collapsed vertebra. Loss of height over time. A stooped posture. A bone that breaks much more easily than expected.
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X-rays can often detect damage to the bones caused by cancer, or new bone that's growing because of cancer. They can also determine whether your symptoms are caused by something else, such as a broken bone (fracture).
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Bone loss before osteoporosis (osteopenia) The stage before osteoporosis is called osteopenia. This is when a bone density scan shows you have lower bone density than the average for your age, but not low enough to be classed as osteoporosis. Osteopenia does not always lead to osteoporosis.
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Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist. Men as well as women are affected by osteoporosis, a disease that can be prevented and treated.
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['Being over age 50.', 'Being female.', 'Menopause.', 'Family history of osteoporosis.', 'Low body weight/being small and thin.', 'Broken bones or height loss.']
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['Abdominal x-ray.', 'Barium x-ray.', 'Bone x-ray.', 'Chest x-ray.', 'Dental x-ray.', 'Extremity x-ray.', 'Hand x-ray.', 'Joint x-ray.']
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A group of medications known as "bisphosphonates" are sometimes used to treat osteoporosis. These medications increase bone mineral density, which strengthens bones and is thought to make them less likely to fracture.
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The test is also known as the 25-OH vitamin D test and the calcidiol 25-hydroxycholecalcifoerol test. It can be an important indicator of osteoporosis (bone weakness) and rickets (bone malformation).
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['Calcium: the building block of bone health. ... ', 'Vitamin D: ... ', 'Magnesium: the unsung hero. ... ', 'Vitamin K2: a key marker of bone health.']
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Your bone density test results are reported using T-scores. A T-score shows how much your bone density is higher or lower than the bone density of a healthy 30-year old adult. A healthcare provider looks at the lowest T-score to diagnosis osteoporosis. What Your T-score Means.
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Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle — so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses such as bending over or coughing can cause a fracture. Osteoporosis-related fractures most commonly occur in the hip, wrist or spine. Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced.