Dexa Scan Results

[Suffererc]

Low bone density. (Osteopenia) with lowest Tscore of -1.9 at APspine. Tscores at Femoral Neck and Total Hip are -0.7 and -0.1. GP explained it all and recommended I restart AA. I declined but she says she has to recommend but it is up to me in the end. I am presently on 5.5. She reckons I will be free of pred by October. I told her it is not always easy to taper to demand. She recons she has many patients with PMR so I assume they have all tapered successfully with her plan ..end of. I do not want to take AA again but am not sure it I should. Where is the proof that it actually does any good.

[Hidden]

My scores 6 weeks ago...L spine -1.2 total hip -0.2 so.osteopeniabetween -1 and -2.5SD below peak mass.

Female, 58ys, at 6mg , Dx PMR June 2016. The advice...I can stop taking calcium if I want as enough in usual diet.

I am NOT on AA, just calcium and d3 and more recently VIT k. My scores aren't that far from.yours and actually in with the same standard deviation. Unless it show a massive decline or was definitive osteoporosis then ok.a biophosonate suitable. But I would not take anything beyond supplements. Good luck, 🌻 and to Dr ,😤

[MhairiP]

I'm following this post because I'm taking AA but my gut instinct is not to take it. My dexa scan results were much worse than yours, but I'm now off pred, so it's a dilemma!

[HeronNS]

1. I have no idea why you would be recommended to take AA when your scores are like that. Many of us would be over the moon to have those readings. Osteoporosis, the level at which drugs are recommended, begins at -2.5. None of your readings are anywhere near that. (Note the readings are negative numbers, so the larger they look, the lower your actual bone density). Anyone past middle age is likely to have at least some t-scores in the negative range and this is perfectly normal. Our task is to eat right and get the right exercise so the bones don't thin out too fast and last us for the rest of our lives. (If unexplained bone thinning begins to occur it needs to be investigated, not automatically have drugs thrown at it.)

2. You can't taper off pred if PMR is not in remission and only the patient knows that. Fortunately you know that too; pity the poor patients who don't!

[Blearyeyed in reply to HeronNS]

Nice Answer Heron !

Listen to our Heron when it comes to bone health , a patient who has managed to improve their bone density and health through other means .

I'd look back at some of Gerontology posts and links and try using them first before AA .

Obviously , you can never say never as none of us know what the future might bring , but at least being given the option to try alternatives before medication first seems better for the patient and the budget of the NHS!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

She is lying through her teeth at a guess!!! Often when a GP says they have "many" patients it might actually be one or two Her plan may work for tapering - it will NOT work to send PMR into remission and when that happens you will get off pred without a return of symptoms. Then and not before.

And how did she explain it? At that lowish dose and those t-scores I wouldn't return to taking AA. They are almost normal readings for the hips and pretty high for people our age. The proof it does anything is probably in those t-score readings which are normal - did you have one at the start of pred as you should have done? What were the scores then?

[Suffererc]

Thankyou. No I wasn't given a Dexa scan at the start so have no baseline to work from. I had to ask for it. I cannot have another in the NHA for two years. But how long could I wait before having a private scan that might show good/bad reading so I know. My dietary calcium intake was estimated at 1047. Think that is good. Feeling much better now reading the comments on hear and we can't all be wrong

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Suffererc]

A year at least probably - bone density doesn't really change that fast unless there is something wrong and you have a good cushion there before you are anywhere near osteoporosis territory. How long have you been taking AA?

[Suffererc in reply to PMRpro]

I took it from March 18 until Jan 19.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Suffererc]

Probably suggests you never needed it in the first place! Not long enough to be able to tell the GP you need a holiday from it - but I would be taking one!

[HeronNS in reply to Suffererc]

Having a scan done in a different facility on a different machine may not be helpful to you. Repeat DXA scans are useful only in the sense that they show a trend one way or the other. Although they do their best to calibrate the machines so they are measuring accurately the nature of the beast is they can't get it exactly the same, and so a reading on a different machine may show something different than your original scan, even on the same day. The other significant weakness of the DXA scan is it only shows bone density, not bone strength. It can't tell you whether the bone is strong and flexible.

Take your Vitamin D and Vitamin K2 and get your exercise. I bet you'll be fine!

[Suffererc in reply to HeronNS]

Thank you. I take Adcal3 . Do we get K2 on the NHS or do we buy. If it expensive it won't be offered on the NHS.

[Hidden in reply to Suffererc]

Btw. If she was really worried about the scores you would be booked in for NHS scans every 18mths or so. I have them.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Suffererc]

You will have to buy it - the NHS is very basic when it comes to supplements!