Your numbers
Tests for blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index all tend to come down to a collection of numbers that usually need some context for us to understand their impact on our wellbeing. But even these are just part of the picture, we may have high blood pressure for example, but changing our lifestyle and perhaps taking some medicine will bring it down. The same is also true for osteoporosis tests, which are usually carried out if a doctor suspects we’re at risk for the condition.
The impact of falls
The first time we might hear that we could have osteoporosis is following a fall or fracture. Osteoporosis leads to thinning bones that break more easily, so when doctors are concerned about fragility of our bones then they might send us for bone mineral density (BMD) tests. These can also be scheduled if we haven’t had fractures but have other risk factors, such as low hormone levels, early menopause and whether we take some medicines that affects bones.
The tests
Procedures to measure bone density take only 15 minutes and aren’t painful. Called a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry – or DRAX for short – the scan reads our BMD and compares it to BMD found in a healthy young adult, as well as someone our own age. We’re given a figure that can be expressed as -1 or above, between -1 and -2.5 and below -2.5. BMD that is -1 or higher is in the healthy range, while scores lying between -1 and -2.5 are classed as osteopenia, which is a lower than average BMD. We’re given a diagnosis of osteoporosis if our BMD is -2.5 or lower.
Beyond numbers
As well as giving us a diagnosis via BMD tests, GPs also assess our risk for falls when it comes to treatment plans for osteoporosis. This forms part of how health experts help us to tackle the disorder. We may get eye and ear tests to check our senses are working well enough to detect hazards and health and safety in the home could be assessed to reduce tripping risks.