The prevalence of osteoporosis is about 40%–50% in postmenopausal women and 20% in older men. The limited availability of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanners across the country calls for the presence of alternate risk assessment tools to identify those at high risk for osteoporosis. Some of the screening tools available for osteoporosis include Simple Calculated Osteoporosis Risk Estimation and Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA), and Fracture Risk Assessment Tool to assess fracture risk. Clinical parameters that may serve as surrogates include dentition and anthropometric indices. Although screening tools do not supplant the assessment of bone mineral density by DXA, they help identify individuals at high risk for osteoporosis who may be selectively referred for confirming the same.
The last three decades have witnessed considerable progress in the field of bone densitometry. Osteoporosis may be diagnosed in postmenopausal women and in men aged 50 and older if the bone mineral density (BMD) T-scores of the lumbar spine, total hip, or femoral neck are −2.5 or less. For reporting T-scores, the Hologic dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanner uses the Caucasian (nonrace adjusted) female normative database for women and men of all ethnic groups although reference database used does have an impact on the categorization of BMD and must be chosen judiciously considering the regional and ethnic characteristics of the population. The quality control for DXA systems should be periodically done in accordance with manufacturer guidelines for DXA. Beyond conventional BMD assessment, DXA may also be utilized to assess the trabecular bone score, hip structural analysis, vertebral fractures, and body composition.
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