Few women know that a quick and painless test can detect bone loss associated with osteoporosis early, before it causes fractures. Littleton Internal Medicine has added a proven osteoporosis test (called bone densitometry (den-see-ohm-me-tree)) to our office routine.

Bone densitometry is an essential tool in osteoporosis management. Densitometry assists your physicians in diagnosing osteoporosis at an early stage, assessing your risk of fracture and monitoring response to therapy. The GE Medical Systems LUNAR® PRODIGY™ Bone Densitometer is the premier device for measurement of bone density. In just 30 seconds, this highly sensitive densitometer identifies bone loss at the major fracture sites (femur and spine), helping to identify osteoporosis at a much earlier stage than previously possible.

The test is completely painless and provides your bone density results in just a few minutes. Typically, both femurs (hips) and the spine are assessed. Your test results are compared to your own age group and to a young, normal female. The test result, combined with patient examination, is key to diagnosing osteoporosis. Bone density tests may be repeated every 1-3 years, depending on your unique situation.

Who should be tested?

While everyone’s situation is unique, bone densitometer tests are recommended for the following people:

• All postmenopausal women under 65 who have one or more additional risk factors for osteoporosis-related fracture.
• All women aged 65 and older regardless of additional risk factors. (See risk factors below.)
• Postmenopausal women who have a fracture.
• Women who are considering therapy for osteoporosis.
• Women who have been on hormone replacement therapy for prolonged periods.

Bone mineral density (BMD) is the strongest tool available to physicians to predict fracture risk. BMD may increase over time as a response to therapy, or it may decrease with disease progression or poor response to therapy. Reproducibility of the measurements using the Bone Densitometer is the key factor in detecting changes in bone density over time.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a gradual thinning and weakening of the bones, which can lead to bone fractures. Over 28 million Americans, 80% of whom are women, have or are at risk of developing this condition. Annually, osteoporosis results in more than 1.5 million hip, spine and wrist fractures and 50,000 people die due to complications of osteoporosis. Since osteoporosis is often referred to as a “silent disease”, many are less likely to find out they have it until they suffer a painful bone fracture.

The following are all risk factors for osteoporosis:

• Small, thin frame
• Female
• Asian ancestry
• Never taken estrogen
• Early menopause
• Family history of osteoporosis
• Avoidance of dairy foods
• Low vitamin D intake
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Smoker
• Caucasian ancestry
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Excessive caffeine intake

This disorder affects nearly one-half of all postmenopausal women, the largest group at high risk for osteoporosis.

Learn More

Most of us know little about the risk factors, diagnosis and treatment of this disease. To learn more about this disease, including prevention and treatment options, talk to your physician or visit www.hersource.com, a GE sponsored site for education about prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.