DEXA (Bone Density) Scan

Ten minutes. That’s about how long it takes to measure the bone density of your hip and spine to determine your future risk of a broken bone; to confirm a diagnosis of osteoporosis if you have had a fracture; or to monitor progress of your osteoporosis treatment. The scan uses dual energy x-ray absorption, hence the name DEXA scan, and typically you're only exposed to 1/10 of the amount of radiation of a chest x-ray.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends bone density testing for:

  • women starting at age 65;
  • men starting at age 70;
  • post menopausal women under 65 with one or more risk factors;
  • men between 50-70 with one or more risk factors;
  • men and women over age 50 who have broken a bone;
  • post menopausal women who have stopped using hormone therapy (estrogenalone or estrogen and progesterone combinations).

Risk factors for osteoporosis include:

  • getting older - our bones are always in a process of growth and breakdown, but with age more bone breakdown is occurring;
  • ethnicity - with the highest occurrence in women of Caucasian or Southeast Asian descent;
  • low body weight (less than 125 pounds if average height);
  • personal history of a parent with osteoporosis or hip fractures;
  • medical problems that have been treated with medications associated with bone loss, especially steroids; seizure controlling medicine; and injectable birth control Depo-Provera.

There's no set recommendations for how often one should have DEXA scan or at what age to stop testing. However, it may take two or more annual scans to reliably measure a change in bone density. To learn more about this test, visit MayoClinic.com.

If you have questions about DEXA scan or to schedule one, call (425) 640-4950. We would be happy to help you!