An osteoporosis screening consists of an analysis of your risk for bone diminishment using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) to measure the estimated bone mineral density of the heel bone. The heel is measured because its bone is similar to that found in the hip where osteoporotic fractures occur most often. Bone mineral density (BMD) measurement is a strong predictor of skeletal strength and fracture risk.

Your T-score
Your bone mineral density is given as a T-score that corresponds to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The WHO defines a T-score above
-1.0 as normal, and a T-score of -2.5 or less, as osteoporosis. The results of a heel screening do not necessarily mean that you have osteoporosis, but can help your physician determine if you should have a DEXA scan of your spine and hip, a test which is considered the gold standard in bone mineral density testing.

Risk factors
Risk factors for osteoporosis are:

• Post-menopausal female
• Family history of osteoporosis
• Smoke or have a long history of smoking
• Have had thyroid replacement therapy
• Have had cortisone therapy (prednisone, steroids, etc.)
• Ingest less than 1,000 mg of calcium per day
• Lack of weight-bearing exercise in your daily routine
• Have had height loss since age 25
• Had a fracture before age 50

If you have one or more of the above risk factors, you may be a candidate for an osteoporosis screening.

Health encyclopedia
Visit Baptist Hospital East's online Health Encyclopedia for more information on osteoporosis and other relevant topics.

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