Osteoporosis Test
There are several times or situations where you need to be tested for osteoporosis. Anybody over the age of sixty-five should be tested right away, along with postmenopausal women, women that have experienced early menopause, and people that have had diseases or disorders in the past that are risk factors for osteoporosis. The main way to test for this disease is to measure the bone mineral density (or BMD) of patients. If the bone mineral density is irregularly low, there is a good chance that they either have osteoporosis, or it is developing. Getting tested for this disease can lead to early detection, which can prevent a lot of pain and suffering in the end. If it has not completely developed, detection can lead to prevention of the illness completely, if the proper steps are taken. Here are few of the methods used to test for bone mineral density and osteoporosis.
1. Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry – Normally referred to as DXA, Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is the absolute best way to test bone mineral density. The way that it works is that two X-ray beams are simultaneously pointed at parts of the bone, each with different energy levels. Bone mineral density is then calculated by how much of the beams are absorbed by the bones. Osteoporosis is officially diagnosed if the bone density is 2.5 standard deviations below the bone density of a normal healthy adult. There are other ways to test for the bone mineral density and osteoporosis, but Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry is universally believed to be the quickest, easiest, and most accurate way of testing.
2. Ultrasound – This type of sound pressure is used to test for osteoporosis by being absorbed into the body and then reflecting off of the bone. The best place to perform an ultrasound for this type of disease is in the heel. This is normally used to see if there is a problem at all, and then a DXA method is used to confirm whether the disease is present in the patient or not. The reason an ultrasound is used before a DXA is to find out whether the use of the harmful X-ray radiation is necessary. The most common areas that fracture due to osteoporosis are the wrist, hip, and spine, but unfortunately ultrasounds can’t be used to measure the density of those bones.
3. CT Scan – There is a specific type of CT scan that is used to measure bone mineral density. It is called a Quantitative Computed Tomography and it specifically measures the density in the spine. This is rarely used anymore because the DXA is far more inexpensive, more accurate, and it uses less radiation. Variations of this scan can also be used to test the wrist or other bones in the arm.
The QCT and the ultrasound may be able to detect bone mineral density loss, but the DXA has become the standard for actually testing osteoporosis. These other methods do not have the required accuracy to do so.