What is Clinical Osteoporosis?

Increased Fracture Risk is Clinical Osteoporosis.  Clinical Osteoporosis is a diagnosis.  It is a chronic medical condition that you have for the rest of your life, like high blood pressure.  It can never be fully “cured”, but it can be fully controlled.  That is what we do.  We help you to Take Control.

Confusion arises because”osteoporosis” is also a Bone Mineral Density (BMD) test result, as measured by DXA.  Persons with “osteoporosis” for a test result are at high risk, but so are many with “osteopenia”.  In fact 6 times as many people with “osteopenia” have Fragility Fractures as people with “osteoporosis” test scores.  Fractures and fracture risk matter more than test scores.

Fracture Risk is determined by many factors, only one of which is BMD.  Other major factors include age, parental history of fracture (especially hip and spine), personal history of fracture, smoking, corticosteroid use, gender, and being either too heavy or too thin.

FRAX (Fracture Risk Assesment Tool) can help identify risk.  A Complete Bone Health Evaluation is even better.  High risk is “Clinical Osteoporosis”.  What can you do?

First, Take Control Naturally by getting enough Calcium, Vitamin D3, protein, and exercise.  We add osteoporosis medications when necessary.

Jay Ginther, MD

Categorised in: Osteoporosis