New diagnosis, can you help me understand my results?

[TFH1]

Hi All I received a diagnosis of osteoporosis in my lumbar spine yesterday. Can you help me understand these results? What does it mean if my Z score is low? Somebody suggested it could be a false positive on another forum as my other areas are normal bone density.

[Met00]

I can't see any of your z-scores, which compare your bone density with average for your age. The NHS website says z-scores better than -2.0 are within the normal range for age, yet I've seen doctors saying a z-score of, say, -1.5 is low for age and therefore of concern. I would ask for your z-scores so you can judge this for yourself.

[Nevernot in reply to Met00]

Mine were -2.5 which is osteoporosis

[Met00 in reply to Nevernot]

A t-score of -2.5 is only just on the cusp of osteoporosis. It compares your bone density to an average 30 year old. Z-scores compare it to average for age and aren't used to diagnose osteoporosis unless you're under 30. Z-scores are helpful for older people because they show whether or not your bone loss is within the normal range for age. The NHS website says a z-score better than -2.0 is normal.

[Nevernot in reply to Met00]

Awww that’s good to know. Thanks you’ve made my day

[Met00 in reply to Nevernot]

Just to clarify, is -2.5 your t-score or z-score? If z-score, are you aware that -2.5 is worse than -2.0? Negative numbers appear to get larger as they get worse, because they count down from zero.

[Nevernot]

T score -2.5

[Met00 in reply to Nevernot]

Have you had any fractures?

[Nevernot in reply to Met00]

Never

[Met00 in reply to Nevernot]

I'm wondering why you were given a DEXA scan? Do you have any health conditions or take any meds that might raise your fracture risk?

[Nevernot]

because I had bone loss in my jaw so I requested a dexa scan.

[Nevernot in reply to Nevernot]

My mum had osteoporosis. I take omeprazole occasionally. Adcal, vit d and calcium. Saw a Rheumatologist who said I need meds for my osteoporosis

[Nevernot in reply to Nevernot]

So opted for zolondrate infusion

[Met00 in reply to Nevernot]

I don't understand why you need medication if your worst t-score is only on the cusp of osteoporosis. You should have a FRAX fracture risk score too (eg 10% risk of fracture in the next 10 years), calculated using your neck of femur t-score. Any recommendation for medication should be based on your fracture risk, not your t-scores.

[Nevernot]

I’ll have to find my report. Give me a couple of days

[ROSModerator Partner]

Hi TFH1,

We’d like to wish you a warm welcome to our community 😊 Getting a diagnosis can bring up lots of worries and concerns, so we hope that our community is a place where you can feel heard and understood. We wanted to stop by to let you know that we have lots of information (including videos) on our website that you might find helpful, including information about bone density scanning: strwebprdmedia.blob.core.wi...

And lots of other information (including videos) about osteoporosis: theros.org.uk/information-a...

youtube.com/watch?v=hprgJgk...(Not working as expected?)

All the best,

ROS Moderator

[Jillsta_fab]

can see you are such a low risk of not fracturing, 95.3% of not having an osteoporotic fracture and 97% of not fracturing your hip!