Fast Five Quiz: Do You Know Best Practices for Osteoporosis?

According to the World Health Organization, this is the definition for osteoporosis based on BMD measurements by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) among postmenopausal women and men ≥ 50 years of age:

• Normal: BMD within 1 SD of the mean bone density for young adult women and a T score ≥ -1

• Low bone mass (osteopenia): BMD 1-2.5 SDs below the mean for young adult women and a T score between -1 and -2.5

• Osteoporosis: BMD ≥ 2.5 SDs below the normal mean for young adult women and a T score ≤ -2.5

• Severe or established osteoporosis: BMD ≥ 2.5 SDs below the normal mean for young adult women in a patient who has already experienced at least one fracture and a T score ≤ -2.5 (with fragility fracture[s])

It should be noted that although these definitions are necessary to establish the prevalence of osteoporosis, they are not intended to be the sole determinant of treatment decisions.

Learn more about the definition of osteoporosis.

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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Herbert S. Diamond. Fast Five Quiz: Do You Know Best Practices for Osteoporosis? - Medscape - Nov 12, 2020.