Osteoporosis Screening & Treatment (Dexascan)

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes weak and brittle bones. As the bone becomes more porous, the risk for fracture increases. Without treatment, people with osteoporosis lose between one percent to three percent of their bone mass each year after age 50.

Normal bone

Bone with Osteoporosis

Who is at Risk?

Both men and women are at risk for osteoporosis, although women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease. One in two women and one in eight men over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.

Women can lose up to twenty percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years following menopause, making them more susceptible to osteoporosis.

For more information on osteoporosis and its risk factors, contact the National Osteoporosis Foundation. You can also get more information about osteoporosis in men on their web site.

How can I prevent Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is called the silent disease because there are no signs or symptoms. The disease is preventable if bone loss is detected early.

A Dexascan or bone mineral density test, is a useful tool to measure bone loss and determine if treatment is necessary. This test takes only a few minutes and is safe, painless, and noninvasive. Contact Women’s Health Group today at (912) 267-0884 for more information on Dexascans. Our office is open Monday – Thursday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm and 8:30 am – noon on Friday.

Ask your doctor about Osteoporosis. Several treatments for this disease are now available.

Osteoporosis … Are you at Risk?

Osteoporosis is a bone-thinning disease that causes serious fractures, commonly of the hip, spine, and wrist. To find out if you’re at risk, take the following quiz. If you answer “yes” to two or more questions, ask your doctor about ordering a Dexascan test for you.

Male and Female Risks

• Do you have a small, thin frame and/or do you weigh less than 130 pounds?
• Are you Caucasian or Asian?
• Is your diet low in dairy products and other sources of calcium?
• Was your diet low in calcium during childhood?
• Are you physically inactive?
• Have you been treated with thyroid medication or steroids including inhalers?
• Do you smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol in excess?

Additional Female Risk Factors

• Is there a family history of osteoporosis?
• Are you postmenopausal?
• Have you had an early or surgically-induced menopause?
• Do you perform regular or strenuous exercise that stops menstrual periods?

The FRAX^® tool has been developed by WHO (World Health Organization) to evaluate the fracture risk of paitents based on individual patient data as well as bone mineral density (BMD) at the femoral neck. You can calculate your 10-year fracture risk by checking FRAX^®.