Osteoporosis
Symptoms:
There are no symptoms associated with the early disease.
Symptoms occurring late in the disease:
Signs and tests:
- Bone mineral density (BMD) testing as performed in dual-energy
X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) provides a quantitative measure
for demineralization of the bones. This has become the gold
standard for evaluation for osteoporosis. BMD testing should
be performed on all postmenopausal women with fractures,
all women under 65 with an additional risk factor for osteoporosis
(besides menopause) and all women over 65, as recommended
by the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
- A spine CT shows
demineralization. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT)
can be used to evaluate bone density at a number of sites,
but is much less accessible and is more expensive than DEXA.
- A spine X-ray may
show fracture or vertebral collapse in severe cases..
Updated Date: 05/08/00
Updated by: Ajay Nirula MD, PhD. Rheumatology
Fellow University of California at San Francisco Medical Center
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