Previous: 
: 
10 Things Your Primary Care Doctor Does That Should Make You Run for the Hills
Sign In >>
Dr. Orrange received her BA in Biology at the University of California, San Diego, and a Masters Degree in Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. She received her MD from the USC Keck School of…
FAST FACTS
Advertisement
Let's be honest, for most of us when we think about osteoporosis we think it's a women's issue. Surprise! Six out of a hundred men over age 65 have osteoporosis.
So who do we screen and when? Men who are older than 70, have low body weight or weight loss and are not physically active are at risk for osteoporosis. Other factors that increase a man's risk are previous fractures, use of certain medications (prednisone or other corticosteroids, meds used to treat prostate cancer), diets low in calcium, and cigarette smoking.
Don't worry guys, it doesn't hurt a bit. The best screening test for men, as with women, is the DEXA scan. This test measures how dense bones are and is called dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry . Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is a painless and noninvasive test that uses x-ray beams to measure soft tissue and bone thickness. Newer tests for osteoporosis screening like other x-ray techniques and ultrasound haven't been shown to be any better for screening than the DEXA.
Take Home Message: For our male patients the American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends bone density screening with DEXA for men in their 50's or 60's who have the above mentioned risk factors for osteoporosis and are willing to take drugs (bisphosphonates like Fosamax, Boniva, etc) to treat it.
Dr O.
MORE ARTICLES
CATEGORIES:
News
CONDITIONS AND COMMUNITIES:
Acne
•
Alcoholism
•
Alzheimer's Disease
•
Angina
•
Anxiety
•
Arrhythmias
•
Arteriosclerosis
•
Arthritis
•
Back Pain
•
Bipolar Disorder
•
Chronic Pain
•
Cocaine Addiction & Recovery
•
COPD & Emphysema
•
Coronary Heart Disease
•
Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis
•
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
•
Degenerative Disc Disease
•
Degenerative Joint Disease
•
Dementia
•
Depression
•
Diabetes Type 2
•
Diets & Weight Maintenance
•
Enlarged Prostate
•
GERD & Heartburn
•
Gout
•
Heart Attack
•
Heart Failure
•
Hepatitis C
•
High Blood Pressure
•
High Cholesterol
•
Multiple Myeloma
•
Obesity
•
Osteoporosis
•
Parkinson's Disease
•
Sciatica
•
Seasonal Affective Disorder
•
Stroke
•
Vasectomy
MEMBER COMMENTS
TOTAL COMMENTS: 1
-
View All Comments »
Add a Comment
Displaying comments 1-1 of 1
1
I just found out that my 58 year old uncle was diagnosed 3 years ago. His only risk factor was that his mother had it. He has always been very physically fit, no smoking or anything like that. He got tested because his daughter noticed that he had become shorter and he had lost 1.5". My mother just got tested last week and has come back perfectly normal (she just turned 60). She hasn't been physically fit in many years (she used to be a small farm dairy farmer, so there was lots of work then, especially in the summer). She has been taking supplements and keeping up with her dairy consumption since her mother's diagnosis, so that is what we figure is keeping her healthy!
By findmydream May 08, 2009
Got a Question?
POPULAR POSTS
Acne
(712 Discussion Topics)
(712 Discussion Topics)
Alcoholism
(26,101 Discussion Topics)
(26,101 Discussion Topics)
Alzheimer's Disease
(2,462 Discussion Topics)
(2,462 Discussion Topics)
Angina
(93 Discussion Topics)
(93 Discussion Topics)
Anxiety
(25,750 Discussion Topics)
(25,750 Discussion Topics)
Arrhythmias
(281 Discussion Topics)
(281 Discussion Topics)
Arteriosclerosis
(25 Discussion Topics)
(25 Discussion Topics)
Arthritis
(1,338 Discussion Topics)
(1,338 Discussion Topics)
Back Pain
(2,779 Discussion Topics)
(2,779 Discussion Topics)
Bipolar Disorder
(94,009 Discussion Topics)
(94,009 Discussion Topics)
Chronic Pain
(15,996 Discussion Topics)
(15,996 Discussion Topics)
Cocaine Addiction & Recovery
(1,268 Discussion Topics)
(1,268 Discussion Topics)
COPD & Emphysema
(7,705 Discussion Topics)
(7,705 Discussion Topics)
Coronary Heart Disease
(214 Discussion Topics)
(214 Discussion Topics)
Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis
(5,742 Discussion Topics)
(5,742 Discussion Topics)
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
(2,736 Discussion Topics)
(2,736 Discussion Topics)
Degenerative Disc Disease
(902 Discussion Topics)
(902 Discussion Topics)
Degenerative Joint Disease
(69 Discussion Topics)
(69 Discussion Topics)
Dementia
(829 Discussion Topics)
(829 Discussion Topics)
Depression
(120,391 Discussion Topics)
(120,391 Discussion Topics)
Diabetes Type 2
(3,853 Discussion Topics)
(3,853 Discussion Topics)
Diets & Weight Maintenance
(8,395 Discussion Topics)
(8,395 Discussion Topics)
Enlarged Prostate
(44 Discussion Topics)
(44 Discussion Topics)
GERD & Heartburn
(1,214 Discussion Topics)
(1,214 Discussion Topics)
Gout
(148 Discussion Topics)
(148 Discussion Topics)
Heart Attack
(776 Discussion Topics)
(776 Discussion Topics)
Heart Failure
(666 Discussion Topics)
(666 Discussion Topics)
Hepatitis C
(16,793 Discussion Topics)
(16,793 Discussion Topics)
High Blood Pressure
(908 Discussion Topics)
(908 Discussion Topics)
High Cholesterol
(329 Discussion Topics)
(329 Discussion Topics)
Multiple Myeloma
(463 Discussion Topics)
(463 Discussion Topics)
Obesity
(4,798 Discussion Topics)
(4,798 Discussion Topics)
Osteoporosis
(315 Discussion Topics)
(315 Discussion Topics)
Parkinson's Disease
(2,198 Discussion Topics)
(2,198 Discussion Topics)
Sciatica
(417 Discussion Topics)
(417 Discussion Topics)
Seasonal Affective Disorder
(489 Discussion Topics)
(489 Discussion Topics)
Stroke
(504 Discussion Topics)
(504 Discussion Topics)
Vasectomy
(43 Discussion Topics)
(43 Discussion Topics)
