The Power Of DEXA Bone Density Machines For Diagnosing And Tracking Osteoporosis
When a patient has osteoporosis, it means they have a low bone strength and they are at a high risk of fracture.
When fractures happen to this set of people, it is usually pretty serious and may lead to death as the worst-case scenario. Best-case scenarios include pain and disabilities.
Cases like these could be avoided if it is possible to track and identify early, the risk of fractures for patients with osteoporosis and thus administer treatments.
This way, you reduce the risk of life-threatening fractures that might happen when not detected on time.
The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry bone density machine can diagnose and track osteoporosis on time and save the patient a lot of future pain and expenses that come from having a fracture.
How do DEXA machines help doctors improve the treatment of osteoporosis?
The DEXA bone density machine is one of those technological inventions that we should be grateful for.
People do not just know they have osteoporosis, and sometimes they may have had a life-threatening fracture before the diagnosis is made and treatments administered.
The DEXA, when it has tracked osteoporosis gives the patient a fighting chance and helps the doctors start administering early treatments. Early treatments are very important with osteoporosis especially in cases of expecting mothers. Bones can fracture during delivery and if the patient is one with osteoporosis, this makes it a lot easier for a fracture to happen.
But with the bone density machine, osteoporosis can be diagnosed early on, and treated before delivery, to reduce the risk of fractures.
Doctors who should use DEXA to treat osteoporosis
Doctors in different medical fields are encouraged to take part in the DEXA method of diagnosing and treating osteoporosis.
Here is a list of doctors who should use the bone density machine to diagnose and treat osteoporosis
Gynecologists (Expecting mothers and women who are going through post-menopausal stages are at a high risk of osteoporosis)
Internists
Family doctors
Rheumatologists
Endocrinologists
Physiatrists
Orthopedists
Geriatricians (Some of the drugs used to treat some geriatric issues can result in a bone loss).
Benefits of DEXA scans for patients
DEXA scans, apart from its early detection advantage, has a long list of benefits that should not be ignored as well.
Low amounts of radiation:
Unlike the high amount of radiation associated with traditional X-rays, the DEXA operates with a relatively low amount of radiation.
Improved assessment of fracture risks:
The assessments of fracture risks using the DEXA bone density machine is greatly improved as the results are mostly accurate, and diagnosis correct.
No anesthesia required:
You do not need to use anesthesia when doing a DEXA scan, it is painless and safe.
And just in case you were worried about the authenticity of this method, this is a medical standard for diagnosing osteoporosis.
Finding out if a patient is suffering from osteoporosis early will save them all the extra expenses that will come with having a fracture in the future, it would also greatly reduce the risk of having a fracture that could result in disabilities or loss of independence or worse, death.
