Issue Date: September 30, 2007
Give yourself a break and get a bone scan
It's an easy, safe test for osteoporosis.
By Susan T. Lennon
Health-minded people know their numbers: cholesterol, blood pressure, T-score.
Wait, what was that last one? T-score is a measure of your bone density, which helps predict how likely you are to break a bone in a situation of minimal trauma, such as slipping on ice or tripping over a rug. Bones that are too thin are fragile, creating the silent -- but treatable -- condition known as osteoporosis.
The gold-standard test for bone density is the DXA scan (short for dual X-ray absorptiometry; pronounced DEX-ah). "About one-third of people with osteoporosis have had the test, which means two-thirds of people haven't and don't know they are at risk," says J. Edward Puzas, Ph.D., who is a professor of orthopedics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
A DXA test is painless and quick, uses very low levels of radiation and can be done while you're completely clothed.
Should you get the test? People at highest risk of osteoporosis are small-boned, post-menopausal women of European or Asian ancestry. But the disease is complicated, affecting men, too. The more risk factors you have, the greater your chances of developing it.
Risk factors include:
Having broken a bone as an adult
Having a close relative with a history of fractures
Smoking cigarettes
Having a life-long low intake of calcium
Taking corticosteroids for a period of more than three months
Being estrogen-deficient before age 45
Being inactive
Having more than two alcoholic drinks a day
Related Links
-- How to prevent osteoporosis
-- Help avoid osteoporosis by steering clear of these
-- Identifying those at risk for osteoporosis
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