VBCH Now offers Bone Mineral Density Scanning via DXA

If you have risk factors for osteoporosis, it is important that you ask your doctor for a bone health assessment.

Osteoporosis literally means ‘porous bone’. It is a condition where bones become thin and lose their strength, as they become less dense and their quality is reduced. This can lead to broken bones, which cause pain, disability, and make everyday activities extremely difficult. 

Around the world, one in three women and one in five men over the age of fifty will suffer a broken bone due to osteoporosis. 

Our bones are living tissue that give our body structure, allow us to move and protect our organs. Osteoporosis causes the bones to become more porous and fragile, greatly increasing the risk of painful and often disabling broken bones (known as fragility fractures). 

Osteoporosis is often called the ‘silent disease’ because most people don’t know they have osteoporosis until they suffer a broken bone from a minor fall or bump – something that would not normally have caused such a drastic injury. In fact, even after breaking a bone, around 80% of patients are still not diagnosed and treated for osteoporosis, the underlying disease which has caused the fracture. These things can be identified by getting a bone health “check-up”

As part of your ‘check-up’ your doctor should take a complete medical history that includes information on any recent fractures. As well, your doctor will likely estimate your future risk by using a fracture risk assessment tool such as FRAX®.

Depending on the results of your fracture risk assessment, a Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test may be recommended.  BMD testing is recommended for all women and men at age 65, regardless of whether they have risk factors.

WHAT IS A BONE MINERAL DENSITY TEST (BMD) TEST?

BMD testing is a safe, fast and painless method to measure whether you have osteoporosis or how likely you are to develop it in the future.

Traditional X-rays used to identify broken bones (for example spine fractures) cannot measure BMD.  BMD has to be measured by more specialized techniques. Different types of BMD tests are available, but the most commonly used and recommended method is called DXA, which stands for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. DXA is a type of X-ray capable of detecting quite small percentages of bone loss.

VBCH is now offering DXA scanning in their Keosauqua Clinic. You can contact the radiology department to learn more, call: 319-293-8721 or talk with your physician at your next visit for a referral! Check out more information about this and all of our radiology service online at: Radiology Department.