How to Read a Dexa Scan Results
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Understanding Bone Density Results
Your T-score and Z-score Explained
- American Bone Health
- January xiii, 2020
The T-score
- The T-score on your bone density report shows how much your bone mass differs from the os mass of an average healthy 30 year old adult. A bone density exam is similar any other medical test or measurement. The results for the entire population volition exist distributed effectually an average score (the mean).
A T-score is a standard difference — a mathematical term that calculates how much a result varies from the boilerplate or mean. The score that yous receive from your bone density (BMD or DXA) test is measured as a standard departure from the mean. The manufacturers of the DXA machines have programmed them to use a formula to compute these values.
How Often Should I Get Tested?
One standard deviation is equal to a 10–12% difference in bone mass. If yous are exactly equal to the tiptop os mass of an average 30-twelvemonth-old, you do not deviate at all from the boilerplate so your T-score would be 0 standard deviations (SD). If your bones are stronger than the average adult, your os mass may be +1 or +2 SD indicating that your bones accept a mass 10–20% above that of the average xxx year old. If your bones are less dumbo than the average adult, your standard deviation may exist -ii or -three indicating that your bone mass is xx–thirty% below that of the average 30 year old.
Definition of Osteoporosis and Osteopenia (low bone density)
Osteoporosis was defined past the World Health Arrangement in 1994 as a T-score that is 25% lower than the boilerplate thirty twelvemonth old or 2½ standard deviations below the mean or a T-score lower than -2.5.
Some people accept low bone density. You may hear this called osteopenia. Osteopenia is defined past the World Wellness System (WHO) as 10% to 25% below an average healthy 30 twelvemonth old adult, or a T-score between –ane.0 and –2.5 standard deviations beneath normal. Having a T-score between -i.0 and -2.five is not "pre-osteoporosis" or a medical status, but information technology is very of import for people with depression bone density to develop a expert programme to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis.
The Z-score
A Z-score compares your bone density to the boilerplate bone density of people your own historic period and gender. For instance, if you are a sixty-year-quondam female, a Z-score compares your os density to the boilerplate bone density of lx-year-onetime females.
Note: Any mail service menopausal adult female should always request her T-score rather than simply her Z-score
A Z-score is helpful in diagnosing secondary osteoporosis and is always used for children, immature adults, women who are pre-menopausal, and men under historic period fifty. If you lot have a very low Z-score (more than than 2 standard deviations beneath other individuals your historic period), your physician should consider whether other medical atmospheric condition or medications may be causing lower than expected bone density.
Although yous may accept low os density when you lot take your first exam, your doctor cannot tell if you accept lost os density or if y'all take always had lower bone density due to family or medical history. Your acme adult bone mass may take been beneath that of the average individual. For example, if you accept a T-score of -2.5, it is not appropriate to say that you accept lost 25% of your os density unless yous had a bone density test when you lot reached peak bone density. There are lab tests that can help your doctor decide if yous are currently losing bone density.
Assessing your risk
Your bone density is only one of many factors that bear upon your bone health. Other factors include family history, medical conditions you have had and medicines you take taken. The American Bone Wellness Fracture Risk Calculator™ helps you identify other factors and calculates your 10-twelvemonth fracture take chances. This can assist you with healthcare, lifestyle, and treatment choices.
Use the Fracture Risk Calculator
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Posted: 12/5/2016;Revised: 08/14/20.
As a service to our readers, American Bone Health provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of the final review on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should always exist used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.half dozen/19/nineteen
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The American Os Health Fracture Risk Figurer™ estimates fracture risk for women and men over age 45.
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Source: https://americanbonehealth.org/bone-density/understanding-the-bone-density-t-score-and-z-score/
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