Osteoporosis and DEXA Bone Densitometry
Osteoporosis is a potentially crippling disease characterized by the loss of bone tissue and a susceptibility to fracture. It is a public health threat for 44 million Americans, 80 percent of whom are women. Annually, this disease accounts for over a million debilitating fractures, mostly of the weight-bearing hip, spine or wrist.
Osteoporosis has been known as “the silent thief” because it doesn't produce symptoms until a fracture occurs. Approximately 50 percent of women over age 50 are at risk of sustaining an osteoporotic fracture.
Are You At Risk?
Your chances of developing osteoporosis are greater if you are female and answer "yes" to any of the following questions:
Are you…?
- Light-skinned
- Thin or small framed
- Physically inactive
- Approaching or past menopause
- Milk intolerant or have a low calcium intake
- A cigarette smoker or drink alcohol in excess
- Or a member of your immediate family susceptible to broken bones as an adult.
- Taking thyroid medication or steroid-based drugs for asthma, arthritis or cancer
Osteoporosis is preventable and treatable.
Today, doctors are better equipped to detect and treat bone loss in its earliest stages, so as to prevent the disease or lessen its impact. Also, several drug therapies, now on the market, have been shown to be clinically effective in slowing down or reversing the bone-loss process.
Just as no physician would prescribe a medication for hypertension without first taking the patient's blood pressure, the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis should begin with an objective, quantifiable measurement of the patient's bone mass or bone density.
Bone densitometry…safe and reliable
Bone densitometry, using an advanced technology called DXA (short for Dual-energy X-ray Absorpitometry), safely, accurately and painlessly measures bone density and the mineral content of bone. During a comprehensive bone evaluation with DXA, the patient lies comfortably still on a padded table while the DXA unit scans one or more areas, usually the fracture-prone spine or the hip.
Unlike typical x-ray machines, radiation exposure during bone densitometry is extremely low-less than the radiation exposure during a coast-to-coast airline flight. The entire process takes only minutes to complete, depending on the number of sites scanned. It involves no injections or invasive procedures, and patients remain fully clothed.
Bone Densitometry Using DXA
- Simple, proven x-ray method
- Safe, low radiation
- Fast and comfortable, only takes minutes
- Easy…patient remains clothed
- Painless…non-invasive, no injections
How DXA Bone Densitometry Works
Bone Density Scan - Most common examination sites are the fracture-prone hip, spine and sometimes the forearm. Evaluation also includes measurement of height and weight, a thorough history, and risk assessment.
