Bone Density Screenings – When and Why?
As you get older, it seems doctors want you to take more pills and have more medical tests regularly scheduled. I can’t comment on the pills, but several tests have found conditions and diseases in friends early and allowed early treatment and in many cases complete recovery from potentially life threatening conditions. Bone density screenings or osteoporosis tests are one more test that gets added to the list. Your doctor will decide when and if bone density screenings should be started, but typically they start by your 60s, often earlier. For example, if you’ve gone through early menopause, have diabetes, kidney disease, or other risk factors, they may be started earlier. There are several ways to measure bone density. These include ultrasound, which is often the first test performed. Ultrasound is commonly performed on the heel, and if results are positive, further tests are scheduled, usually via Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry or DEXA. DEXA uses radiation and is the most accurate
