The Medical Specialty Center provides DEXA bone densitometry testing, often used to diagnose osteoporosis, a condition that typically affects women after menopause but may also be found in men. Osteoporosis involves a gradual loss of calcium, causing the bones to become thinner, more fragile and more likely to break.

DEXA is also effective in tracking the effects of treatment for osteoporosis and other conditions that cause bone loss.

The DEXA test can also assess an individual’s risk for developing fractures.

Bone density testing is strongly recommended if you:

• are a post-menopausal woman and not taking estrogen.
• have a personal or maternal history of hip fracture or smoking.
• are a post-menopausal woman who is tall (over 5 feet 7 inches) or thin (less than 125 pounds).
• are a man with clinical conditions associated with bone loss.
• use medications that are known to cause bone loss, including corticosteroids such as Prednisone, various anti-seizure medications such as Dilantin and certain barbiturates, or high-dose thyroid replacement drugs.
• have type 1 (formerly called juvenile or insulin-dependent) diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease or a family history of osteoporosis.
• have a thyroid condition, such as hyperthyroidism.
• have a parathyroid condition, such as hyperparathyroidism.
• have experienced a fracture after only mild trauma.
• have had x-ray evidence of vertebral fracture or other signs of osteoporosis.

DEXA scans are now the best method of diagnosing and monitoring osteoporosis. The National Osteoporosis Foundation's guidelines state that women over 65, younger post menopausal women who have any osteoporosis risk factors and aging men with any osteoporosis risk factors should be tested with DEXA scans.

DEXA bone densitometry is a simple, quick and non-invasive procedure. The amount of radiation used is extremely small; less than one-tenth the dose of a standard chest x-ray.

DEXA bone density testing is the most accurate method available for the diagnosis of osteoporosis and is also considered an accurate estimator of fracture risk.

For more information, please call (530) 846-9080.