Health New England | Health Matters | Wellness Guide 2019

22 ∞ Health & Wellness Guide | 2019 Osteoporosis—a disease of dangerously frag- ile bones—can sneak up on you. That’s be- cause it doesn’t cause any symptoms. People usually don’t know they have it until a bone breaks unexpectedly, often from a minor fall. A bone mineral density (BMD) test measures how strong your bones are. It’s the only test that can tell you if you have osteoporosis or not. It can also: • Predict your risk of fractures • Let you know if you have osteoporosis after a fracture • See if osteoporosis treatment is making your bones stronger Bone Density and Osteoporosis Risk What Do the Results Mean? The results of a BMD test are reported as T-scores, which compare the strength of your bones to those of a healthy 30-year-old. A low T-score means you have thinner, weaker bones than a healthy young adult. The more negative the number, the greater your risk of a broken bone. A T-score: • Between +1 and -1 means your bones are normal and healthy. • Between -1.1 and -2.4 means your bone density is lower than normal, but not yet low enough to be diag- nosed as osteoporosis. Doctors call this low bone mass osteopenia. • -2.5 or less means you have osteoporosis. Even if a BMD test shows you have osteoporosis, you and your doctor can work together to manage it and help prevent fractures. Sources: National Institutes of Health; National Osteoporosis Foundation; UpToDate OSTEOPOROSIS Should You Get Tested? Women are much more likely to develop os- teoporosis than men, and it’s more common later in life. As a result, a BMD test is advised for all women age 65 and older. Your doctor may also recommend it if you are at high risk for osteoporosis—whether you’re a man or a woman. A BMD test can be done several ways. The most accurate method is called dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (or DXA for short). This test is painless and similar to having an X-ray.