Q. Why do you measure my heel for the Osteoporosis Screening?
A. Life Line Screening uses Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) to measure the bone density of your heel. We measure the heel because its bone most closely matches that of your hip and it is a weight bearing bone. The objective of this screening is to identify your risk for bone loss and therefore your risk for future bone fracture based on the bone mineral density (BMD) of your heel.
Q. Will this screening tell me if I have osteoporosis?
A. If your results fall in the Mild to Moderate Risk or High Risk for Bone Diminishment categories, this does not mean absolutely that bone loss has occurred, but we must consider this a possibility. Osteoporosis is a complex multifactorial disorder, much like atherosclerosis and no single risk factor (BMD) should be looked at in isolation. Your physician will use this BMD measurement along with your other clinical risk factors (gender, age, fracture history, family history, medications, smoking, exercise, calcium intake and general health status) as an aid to deciding if you should have a DEXA scan. A DEXA scan is the gold standard, more diagnostic, and more expensive than our screening.
Q. Why should I have your Osteoporosis Screening? Shouldn't I just get a DEXA scan?
A. About 50% of those we screen show Low Risk for Bone Diminishment. These individuals would not need to have a DEXA scan at this time. Our screening is a low cost, radiation-free good first step in helping you identify your risk for this disease.
Q. How accurate is your Osteoporosis Screening?
A. It is approximately 90% accurate. Since we are screening your heel and not your hip, and since osteoporosis is not uniform throughout the body, false positives may occur.
Q. Are there any clinical studies that show that ultrasound bone densitometers that use the heel as the measurement are accurate enough to benefit me?
A. Yes. The National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment (NORA) Study, published December 12, 2001 in the Journal of the Americal Medical Association (JAMA) was an assessment of osteoporosis in 200,000 postmenopausal women using peripheral bone densitometers including the Sahara Bone Densitometer used by Life Line Screening. The conclusions of the study are twofold:
- Osteoporosis and low bone mass is a disease reaching epidemic proportions in the elderly population, and is being grossly underdiagnosed in the primary care setting. With access to DEXA limited for many, and the cost of this modality being upwards of £150, peripheral ultrasound bone densitometry was used to test this population.
- This study evaluates and confirms the validity of QUS as a useful modality in screening large populations for osteoporotic risk.
Q. If I have already had a DEXA scan and have been on medication should I get your screening to see if I have improved my bone density?
A. No. Our osteoporosis screening device is not FDA approved to monitor your response to therapy. You should have another DEXA scan.
Q. How useful is the information from an osteoporosis ultrasound screening of my heel bone going to be to my doctor?
A. The clinical utility of this screening equipment is of significant value. QUS results serve to focus awareness of osteoporotic risk in all patients. This heightened awareness will help physicians take the necessary steps to manage and actively treat patients who are already affected by this disease, and to work towards preventing this disease in those patients who are at risk. This will include dietary and lifestyle recommendations, and use of one of the array of effective drug therapies now available for the treatment of osteoporosis. In this way QUS will lessen the heavy economic burden of both hospital and nursing home admissions.
