Osteoporosis , also called “silent disease” because it can progress without being noticed until a bone breaks and the sufferer discovers it, is a condition in which bonedensity decreases, increasing the likelihood of fracture. In both women and men, bone density increases until about the age of 30 and then gradually begins to decrease. Especially in women, the reduction in bone density increases after menopause and today it is estimated that one in three women and one in five men over 50 years of age will suffer an osteoporotic fracture.
Precisely because osteoporosis is ‘silent’, the importance of prevention and timely and accurate screening plays an important role. The M.O.P. shows whether someone has normal bone density, low bone density or osteoporosis. The lower your bone density, the higher your risk of fracture. It is a very useful tool in the hands of doctors to diagnose osteoporosis and calculate the likelihood of someone suffering a fracture due to osteoporosis.
At Euromedica B.D.D. is carried out by the method DEXA (Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry). It is a non-invasive and completely painless test that focuses on one point to calculate the amount of bone and determine whether the person is healthy or suffering from osteopenia / osteoporosis. During the examination, the patient lies down under the special scanner, without having to take off their clothes, which moves along the patient to visualise the area of interest. The whole procedure takes no more than 15 minutes. The DEXA method relies on the use of X-rays, but the dose used is extremely low.
B.D.D is mainly recommended to:
- People suffering from osteopenia or osteoporosis
- People who have suffered a fracture over the age of 50
- Women over 65 and men over 70
- Women who are menopausal and have a history of a previous fracture
- Adults of both sexes with conditions associated with low bone mass or associated with bone loss
- Patients already taking medication for reduced bone mass to assess the effect of the treatment they are receiving
The examination is safe, relatively short and does not confine the patient to an enclosed space as with other imaging modalities. The radiation to which the subject is exposed is extremely low.