The trabecular bone score is not impacted by osteoarthritis. If degenerative disease is present, your healthcare provider will focus on unaffected regions of interest. Osteoarthritis in the spine and hip may increase measured bone mineral density. Osteoarthritis – degenerative joint disease − is unrelated to osteoporosis (this is a common point of confusion). Does arthritis show up on a bone density test? Results are classified as normal, partially-degraded, and degraded.ĭepending on your clinical circumstances and risk factures, your healthcare provider may also include a vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) for the spine and/or a femur fracture assessment (FFA) for the hip. This reflects the microarchitecture of bone in the spine. Your results may also include a TBS – trabecular bone score. Using femoral neck bone density (the bone density of a portion of the femur) and patient-specific data, the 10-year probability of a major osteoporotic fracture and a hip fracture is generated. It is incorrect to say there is osteoporosis in the spine and osteopenia in the hip.įor people with low bone density, the FRAX (fracture risk assessment) tool, is often included in the report. For example, if the T-score in your spine is -2.7 and the T-score in your hip is -2.2, the diagnosis is osteoporosis. The diagnosis is made using the lowest T-score. Osteoporosis anywhere in your body is osteoporosis everywhere. The World Health Organization (WHO) established the following skeletal sites for diagnosis: the lumbar spine, the total hip, the femoral neck (a part of the hip in the upper portion of the femur bone) and, in certain circumstances, the 33% radius (the wrist). A T-score -2.5 or below is considered osteoporosis.A T-score between -1.0 and -2.5 is considered low bone density, sometimes referred to as osteopenia.A T-score equal to or above -1.0 is considered normal bone density.Values are compared to others of the same age and gender (Z-scores) or healthy young adults at peak bone mass (T-scores).įor post-menopausal women and men age 50 and over, the result of DXA is based on T-scores: What do my DEXA scan bone density test results mean?ĭXA bone mineral density for different sites on the skeleton is reported as grams per centimeter squared (gm 2) – measuring the amount of calcium and other bone materials packed in to a segment of bone. You may be asked to hold your breath during the scanning, ensuring that you lie very still so that motion artifact does not interfere with the images the technologist and radiologist evaluate on the computer screen. Other facilities may use a separate scanner to evaluate the wrist. At HSS, the wrist is scanned with the same machine while you are seated next to the machine. A scanner will pass over your lower spine and hip while another scanner passes beneath you. Legs may be straight or positioned on a padded platform. Metal jewelry (for example, belly button piercings) and clothing with metal fasteners (zippers, buckles, hooks) should be avoided.įully clothed, you will lie flat on your back on a padded table. You will be asked to stop taking calcium supplements 24 to 48 hours before the scheduled DXA exam (different facilities have different guidelines). women who have lost more than 1.5 inches and men who have lost more than two inches from their tallest height.women during the menopausal transition and men younger than 70 with risk factors for low bone mass including low body weight and prior fracture.adults with lifestyle factors that lead to bone loss, such as smoking and excessive alcohol intake.adults taking medications associated with low bone mass or bone loss.adults with a disease or condition associated with low bone mass or bone loss.adults with a fragility fracture (fracture with little or no trauma, such as a fall from standing height).Who should have a DEXA bone density test?Īnyone who meets the following criteria should get a DXA test. It is painless, non-invasive, and takes about 10 minutes.

Low-level X-rays, equivalent to less than two day’s exposure to natural background radiation, measure important bone sites (detailed below). However, “DEXA” is more widely used and recognized by people outside the medical profession.) (DXA is the term preferred by the ISCD – the International Society for Clinical Densitometry. DXA stands for Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry. The most commonly performed bone density test is called a DXA test (sometimes written as “DEXA”). At what age should you stop getting tested?Ī bone density test is a low-level X-ray measuring important bone sites.Does arthritis show up on a bone density test?.Who should have a DEXA bone density test?.

Bone density test results