DXA and clinical challenges of fracture risk assessment in primary care

Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) can detect bone mineral density loss before it can be identified on usual skeletal radiography, making it possible to diagnose osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and older men before clinical fractures arise. However, when DXA is used outside these populations or if the clinical picture does not match the reported T-scores, mistakes can arise in interpreting results and determining the need for pharmaceutical therapy.

Automated summary

DXA is effective in diagnosing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and older men, but caution is needed when interpreting results in other populations to determine the necessity of pharmaceutical therapy.