What Is Osteoporosis?
Article Sources
- 1. Ganesan K, Jandu JS, Roane D. Osteoporosis (Secondary) [Updated 2020 Jun 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470166/
- 2. Pouresmaeili F, Kamalidehghan B, Kamarehei M, Goh YM. A comprehensive overview on osteoporosis and its risk factors. Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2018;14:2029-2049. Published 2018 Nov 6. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S138000
- 3. Varacallo M, Seaman TJ, Jandu JS, et al. Osteopenia. [Updated 2020 Apr 27]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499878/
10. Osteopenia
Osteopenia has been mentioned a few times in this article. It is the precursor (or less intense version) to osteoporosis and is diagnosed with the same scan as osteoporosis: a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone scan. This scan measures what is termed the “T-score”. If this score is between -1 to -2.5 then the diagnosis of osteopenia is made.3Varacallo M, Seaman TJ, Jandu JS, et al. Osteopenia. [Updated 2020 Apr 27]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499878/
There are no signs or symptoms of osteopenia and so early detection with the knowledge of risk factors is important. Treatment is usually pretty conservative but follows the same idea as osteoporosis: weight bearing and resistance exercises, maybe supplementation, and perhaps medication. It will be up to a doctor guided by the most recent evidence as to how to best treat both osteoporosis and osteopenia for the individual person.
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