Osteoporosis
Last updated Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Diagnosis and evaluationHow is osteoporosis diagnosed? A person who has bone fractures with only minor
trauma, such as a simple fall, probably has osteoporosis. Physicians must determine that other diseases
did not cause the fracture. (see above)
Osteoporosis can also be diagnosed with a bone density
test. This is a kind of X-ray that
measures the density in the spine, hip or wrist. Other tests can measure the heel with
ultrasound.
A committee of the World Health Organization has defined
osteoporosis based on the bone density. Using standardized bone density
measurements of the total hip, "normal" bone is greater than 833
mg/cm2. "Osteopenia" is between 833 and 648mg/cm2. Osteoporosis is
lower than 648mg/cm2, and "Severe (established) osteoporosis" is when
there has been a fragility fracture.
There
have been many debates about when bone density tests should be done. The recommendations also vary from country to
country. Many doctors in the USA suggest
that the bone density should be done for women older than 65, men older than
70, and persons with serious risk factors.What tests may be used to diagnose osteoporosis? Bone density tests can estimate the risk of a fracture,
but can not tell if an individual person will or will not break a bone.
Other
blood and urine tests, X-rays, and bone scans can help a physician decide if
other diseases caused osteoporosis or caused a fracture.Will diagnosing osteoporosis cause pain, side effects, or invasive techniques? How are these dealt with? The bone density test is easy, can be done in about 15
minutes, and is painless.What health care professionals may help diagnose osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a common disease. The diagnosis is made by a physician or a
nurse practitioner. There is no medical
specialty devoted to osteoporosis.
Physicians who diagnose and treat osteoporosis can be in the following
specialties: family practice, internal medicine, endocrinology, rheumatology,
radiology, orthopaedics, nephrology or rehabilitation medicine.How can a doctor specializing in osteoporosis be found? Because there is no specialty for osteoporosis, it is
not easy to know which physicians in any community have the most knowledge and
experience with osteoporosis - especially in complicated cases. A patient should ask his or her primary care
providor about recommendations for a referal if a specialist is needed.Surgery for Osteoporosis at the University of Washington If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call 206-598-4288 (outside the Seattle area: 800-440-3280) to make an appointment.
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