subject: Different Diagnostic Procedures For Osteoporosis [print this page] Osteoporosis is being suffered by more than 10 million Americans and there are 34 million more people at risk of being afflicted with the condition, U.S. health department records show. The ultimate result of this major health problem could be several types of fracture. Hence, it is important that therapies are developed for this kind of bone disease. With the number of studies made to discover this condition, the finding that growth hormone therapy has the possibility to treat osteoporosis can be considered as one of the most interesting.
A disease that is defined by the diminishing level of ones bone mineral density (BMD) is called osteoporosis. Since the state of your bone health must be known, different examinations will be considered. Before you will go through diagnostic examinations, the following questions must first be asked:
Any fractures you have incurred
Race, family history of osteoporosis
Medications taken
General intake of calcium and vitamin D
Lifestyle, activities and exercise pattern
Menstrual history for women
The following procedures can then be advised if osteoporosis is found out.
X-rays. This will be done to determine if a fracture or bone loss has happened and if a person experiences low back pain and/or a decrease in height resulting from stooped posture.When one experiences low back pain and/or a decrease in height resulting from stooped posture, an X-ray may be done to determine whether you have a fracture or if there is bone loss. It must be noted that X-ray is not enough in determining if one has osteoporosis as it can only detect bone loss if more than 30% has been depleted.
BMD tests. Assessing the state of your bones can be determined best by a BMD test. Among the most widely recognized BMD test is dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan or DEXA scan. Usually, this procedure will only last around 10 minutes using a very limited amount of radiation exposure making it a problem-free kind of exam.
CT Scan. In rare cases, quantitative computed tomography (QCT) can be also be used to show loss of BMD. This particular type of CT scan is used mainly to assess disease conditions that may be defined by unusual BMD as well as to monitor response to therapy for these conditions.
It does not matter what procedure you need to go through; but what is crucial is the early detection of osteoporosis so that appropriate actions are done immediately. Osteoporosis prevention, like the Fosamax drug, is reported to cause adverse effects such as femur fractures and osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), which means one should be careful in terms of the action that will be done after the condition was detected. More care will actually be practiced if they will be informed about the Fosamax class action lawsuit.
