What is Your Bone Density?

Find Out Why This is So Important

Mar 29, 2009

Read about recent facts on bone density. Although bone density is a topic that pertains to everyone, certain groups of people are more prone to bone density problems.

Bone density gets more important as you get older, especially if you are a Caucasian post menopausal woman. Bone density is a gauge for bone strength. Bone strength is the capacity to resist fracture.

If your bones contain a high mineral content they are less likely to break. In contrast, if your bone density is very low, fractures can occur from rolling over in bed.

Bone Density Explained

Osteoporosis is the name of the disease responsible for bones becoming more likely to break. Bones normally undergo construction constantly. Osteoporosis develops if bones develop insufficient mass, and there is either an excessive amount of bone resorption or there is a shortage of new bone formation during remodeling.

Combinations of these conditions result in the creation of fragile bones that have low resistance to breaking. The lower back, ribs, hips and wrists are high fracture areas for people with osteoporosis. There are no symptoms to this disease but bone density tests can determine if you have or are at risk of osteoporosis.

The test is painless and does not require any preparation. An initial test may be taken of the bone density in your heel or finger with a small machine. If the test is positive the doctor may recommend a scan of the hip or lower spine. These areas are thought to give more accurate readings because they are where major fractures occur.

How to Read Bone Density Results

Results are given in two scores: a T-score and a Z-score. A T-score is what your bone density is in comparison to the norm for a healthy person in your age and gender. Negative and positive scores indicate bone density. If your T-score is above -1 your bone density is good. A score between -1 and -2.5 is lower than normal and may indicate a risk of osteoporosis. Below -2.5 means you have osteoporosis. These T-scores may need to be interpreted differently if you are anything other than a Caucasian woman who is post menopausal.

The Z-score takes into account age, sex, weight, and ethnic origin norms. The score is your number of standardized deviations above or below that norm. A score of less than -1.5 could reveal that other factors are involved with the bone loss and your doctor will follow up with additional diagnostic measures.

Although bone density tests are recommended for all women over 65 by The National Osteoporosis Foundation, people with vertebral abnormalities, hyperparathyroidism, a history of eating disorders, or estrogen deficiency are also at high risk.

The copyright of the article What is Your Bone Density? in Bone Injuries is owned by Naheed Ali. Permission to republish What is Your Bone Density? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.