Diagnosing osteoporosis
Risk assessment tools
If your doctor suspects you have osteoporosis, they can make an assessment using an online programme, such as FRAX or Q-Fracture.
These tools help to predict a person's risk of fracture between the ages of 40 and 90. The algorithms used give a 10-year probability of hip fracture and a 10-year probability of a major fracture in the spine, hip, shoulder or forearm.
DEXA scan
They may also refer you for a DEXA (DXA) scan to measure your bone mineral density. It's a short, painless procedure that takes about 5 minutes, depending on the part of the body being scanned.
Your bone mineral density can be compared to the bone mineral density of a healthy young adult and someone who's the same age and sex as you. The difference is calculated as a standard deviation (SD) and is called a T score.
Standard deviation is a measure of variability based on an average or expected value. A T score of:
- above -1 SD is normal
- between -1 and -2.5 SD is defined as decreased bone mineral density compared with peak bone mass
- below -2.5 is defined as osteoporosis