Osteoporosis Screening

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the density and quality of bone are reduced. As bones become more porous and fragile, the risk of fracture is greatly increased.

What are included in the osteoporosis screening programme?

Medical Consultation by Doctor
Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA scan)

How to diagnose osteoporosis?

Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) provides a widely utilisable method for calculating bone mineral density (BMD). The World Health Organisation (WHO) produced an operational definition of osteoporosis based on a BMD T score of −2.5 or lower. This score is the diagnostic criterion for osteoporosis and those in an osteopenic range (T score between −1.0 and −2.5) are still at risk of fracture.

What are the risk factors for osteoporosis?

Risk factors include:

Age
Female gender
Family history of osteoporosis
Previous fracture
Ethnicity
Menopause/ oophorectomy
Long term glucocorticoid therapy
Thyrotoxicosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Primary/secondary hypogonadism in men
Alcohol
Smoking
Low body mass index
Poor nutrition
Vitamin D deficiency
Eating disorders
Insufficient exercise

What are the symptoms for osteoporosis?

The loss of bone occurs silently and progressively. Often there are no symptoms for osteoporosis until the first fracture occurs. However, if you experience back pain and stooped posture, these may be signs for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Screening

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