Osteoporosis Screen
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis, literally meaning ‘porous bones’, is a chronic, progressive disease in which bones become fragile and are more likely to break. Osteoporosis usually affects the whole skeleton but it most commonly causes breaks (fractures) to bone in the wrist, spine and hip. If left undiagnosed and not treated then osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks due to a simple strain, bump or fall.
Women are four times more likely to develop the disease than men and an estimated 3 million people in the UK currently suffer from the disease. While it is typically an older person’s disease, it can affect anyone at any age.
Risk Factors
While everyone is potentially at risk because of natural bone loss that occurs as we get older, there are some factors that can increase the risk:-
• Lack of estrogen for women
• Low levels of testosterone for men
• Family history of osteoporosis
• Advanced age
• Diet low in calcium
• Anorexia nervosa
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Inactive lifestyle
• Long-term use of high dose corticosteroid tablets (for conditions such as arthritis and asthma)
• Malabsorption problems (coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, gastric surgery)
Testing for Osteoporosis
While a bone density scan is the traditional way of diagnosing established osteoporosis, knowing who are ‘fast’ bone losers is key to preventative treatment and the NTx test is highly predictive for onset of osteoporosis.
Early warning of increased bone loss can be used as a reliable predictive marker and the NTx test can monitor the effectiveness of therapies used to slow bone loss and reduce the chance of developing the disease.
It is recommended that all women are tested to determine bone loss rate, to identify "fast bone losers". Osteoporosis prevention is most effective before rapid bone loss occurs, while women are still in the early phase of the menopause.
How does the test work?
The CNS Osteoporosis Screen provides a measure of the excretion of N-telopeptide (NTx), a very specific marker of bone metabolism. Urinary levels of NTx correlate with the rate of bone loss and when there are increased amounts of NTx in the urine, there is an increased rate of bone destruction.
Your results
The report that you will receive will show your NTx/Creatinine ratio and is simple to understand. The higher the result, the more bone that you are losing and thus the greater likelyhood of developing osteoporosis. The laboratory report also shows what the expected normal range is and what your result means in terms of risk to bone health for the next 12 months. This allows you to see if you are at risk of developing osteoporosis in the near future and so you can take corrective action in good time.
Prevention and Treatment
Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, you can optimize bone health and prevent the onset of osteoporosis or reduce further bone deterioration by:
• Maintaining a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
• Taking weight –bearing exercise
• Following a healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol consumption
It is advisable to discuss your results, and any changes to your diet or lifestyle, with your healthcare professional.
Sample requirements and test turnaround
Only a small urine sample is required. Results are available within 10 working days.
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