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Dexa Scan Results



 Submitted by Medical Health Test Team on June 28, 2010
Dexa Scan Results Interpretation

A DEXA scan is a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry test. It is a test used to measure bone density. The bones are the structures that form the skeletal system. The skeletal system is important to give the body shape and rigidity. It also helps the body cope with immense stress of physical exertion as well as the stress of carrying weight. The bones are made up of mineralized tissue and have a structure that makes them light yet rigid. This is important to enable easy mobility without expending too much energy.

The bones are susceptible to many different types of conditions including inflammations and cancer. Bone density problems are associated with diseases such as osteoporosis. When the density of the bone mass becomes less, the strength of that bone tends to reduce as well. This makes the bone more likely to suffer from a crack or break. There may be other contributing factors that increase or decrease the risk of bone breakage, but bone density is certainly one of the primary factors. Bone density tends to be different in children and varies among adults as well depending on factors like age, sex, ethnicity, and so on. A person who is diagnosed with low bone density can make changes in his or her lifestyle in order to reduce the chances of suffering from a broken or damaged bone. In severe cases of bone weakness, the person may suffer from fractures even when sitting at idle. This is particularly common around the hip or thigh bones.

A DEXA scan uses two different scanning beams that have different intensities. The scanning machine uses a low intensity X-ray beam and a high intensity X-ray beam. The difference in the strength of the beams is known at the machine. The difference in the absorption rate of the beams by the bone is then measured. The DEXA scan results are presented in the form of a score. For the DEXA scan results there are two different methods of scoring. The DEXA scan results could be represented by a T-score or a Z-score. The T-score uses the person’s sex as a factor of consideration and accordingly presents the readings from the machine. A Z-score is more thorough and takes into consideration the person’s age, gender, ethnic background and body weight to deliver its reading. This makes the Z-score more effective at diagnosing a problem because all these factors do have an effect on the bone density of a person.

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