St.Vincent Osteoporosis Center

Osteoporosis is a significant loss of bone density and strength that affects millions of women and men in the United States. The only way to tell if you have osteoporosis is by measuring bone mass through a specialized bone density test.

A bone density test can help:

• Detect osteoporosis before a fracture occurs
• Predict your future chance of fracture
• Determine your rate of bone loss and/or monitor the effects of treatment if the test is conducted at intervals of a year or more

The St.Vincent Osteoporosis Center, located in the comfort and privacy of the St.Vincent Breast Center, offers state-of-the-art technology in bone density testing, as well as educational information and osteoporosis risk assessments.

A physician’s decision to test for bone mass density (BMD) should be based on your individual risk profile. Testing may not be recommended unless the results of the tests could influence a treatment decision. In general, BMD should be performed on:

1. All women aged 65 and older regardless of risk factors.*
2. Younger postmenopausal women with one or more risk factors (other than being white, post- menopausal, and female).
3. Postmenopausal women who present with fractures (to confirm diagnosis and determine disease severity).

*Medicare covers BMD testing for the following individuals age 65 and older:

• Estrogen deficient women at clinical risk for osteoporosis
• Individuals with vertebral abnormalities
• Individuals receiving, or planning to receive, long-term glucocorticoid (steroid) therapy
• Individuals with primary hyperparathyroidism
• Individuals being monitored to assess the response or efficacy of an approved osteoporosis drug therapy

Note: Medicare permits individuals to repeat BMD testing every two years.

Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation

For more information, please call the St.Vincent Osteoporosis Center at (317) 338-9595 or toll-free at (866) 788-7732.