Osteoporosis is often confused with osteoarthritis since often people have both. While osteoarthritis is a complex disease that causes joint pain and reduces joint mobility and function, osteoporosis is the loss of bone mass which causes risk of fractures.
Metastatic bone disease should always be ruled out when a patient incurs multiple fractures. Osteoporosis may be confused with osteomalacia, but in osteoporosis the bones are porous and brittle, whereas in osteomalacia the bones are soft.
Osteopenia is when your bones are weaker than normal but not so far gone that they break easily, which is the hallmark of osteoporosis. Your bones are usually at their densest when you're about 30. Osteopenia, if it happens at all, usually occurs after age 50.
Osteoporosis–low bone mineral density–has the potential to be overdiagnosed, since according to its definition, many otherwise healthy people are labelled with a “disease” because they are at risk for future fracture [4].
Vertebral fractures (VF) related to osteoporosis (i.e., severe OP) increase the risk of disability and mortality, but they are often neglected. We observed a severe OP misdiagnosis in 28.9% of inpatients with previous spinal imaging positive for VFs.
The most common test for measuring bone mineral density is dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). It is a quick, painless, and noninvasive test. DXA uses low levels of x-rays as it passes a scanner over your body while you lie on a cushioned table.
For various reasons, the DEXA scan is considered the "gold standard" or most accurate test. This measurement tells the healthcare provider whether there is decreased bone mass. This is a condition in which bones are more brittle and prone to break or fracture easily.
Because bone density can vary from one location in your body to another, a measurement taken at your heel usually isn't as accurate a predictor of fracture risk as a measurement taken at your spine or hip.
DEXA scans offer a high degree of precision and accuracy. Medical experts consider DEXA scans to be an accurate test for diagnosing osteoporosis. Unlike x-ray machines, DEXA machines are checked daily for their ability to measure bone mineral accurately, and no two DXA machines are exactly alike.
For most people, osteoporosis begins after age 50. However, there are some risk factors that can make someone more likely to develop osteoporosis at an earlier age.
Osteopenia is less severe than osteoporosis. Osteopenia is a loss of bone mass or bone mineral density. It is the stage before osteoporosis, and without treatment, it can progress to osteoporosis.
Two categories of osteoporosis have been identified: primary and secondary. Primary osteoporosis is the most common form of the disease and includes postmenopausal osteoporosis (type I), and senile osteoporosis (type II).
The stage before osteoporosis is called osteopenia. This is when a bone density scan shows you have lower bone density than the average for your age, but not low enough to be classed as osteoporosis. Osteopenia does not always lead to osteoporosis. It depends on many factors.
CRMO—also called chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO)—is a rare disorder that causes inflammation of the bone. CRMO is an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue and organs, causing inflammation.
Stage 4, or severe, osteoporosis is associated with significant pain, impaired mobility, and stooped posture. A person has stage 4 osteoporosis if their bone mineral density score is more than 2.5 standard deviations below the healthy average for a young adult and they have had at least one fracture.
MRI has a role in detecting osteoporosis that the appearance of bone marrow is determined by its relative amount of protein, fat, water, and cells on MRI pulse sequence.
Because MRIs can reveal abnormal appearance or physical abscess in bones, they are more effective at detecting bone cancer than traditional bone scans. They can also identify cancer earlier than bone scans can, allowing MRIs to detect the disease before cancer reaches the bones.
Bone mineral density (BMD) is positively associated with body weight, and low body weight is a risk factor of fractures.
While a DEXA scan isn't typically used to diagnose cancer, it can provide your care team with important information to help them determine whether additional testing is needed. Using low levels of X-rays, the DEXA scan examines the entire skeleton or specific points on the body, such as the spine or hip.
DXA is a non-invasive test to measure bone density. A bone density test is a measurement of how much mineral, such as calcium, you have in your bones. The most common and most versatile test is with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
The DEXA test is considered to be the "gold standard" when diagnosing osteoporosis.
If you are being investigated for osteoporosis, a blood sample may be taken to measure certain mineral and hormone levels. Blood calcium levels are usually normal in osteoporosis. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), an enzyme from liver and bone, usually shows normal activity in osteoporosis.