How To Interpret Bone Mineral Density Test Results

December 24,2021
2 Min Read

Two scores provided by bone mineral density (BMD) studies are clinically important:

T-Score: The T-score is a comparison of the patient’s bone density with healthy, young individuals of the same sex.
Z-Score: The Z-score is a comparison with the bone density of people of the same age and sex as the patient.

WHO definitions based on BMD T-score:

T-score	Bone Density Level
+1 to -1	Normal bone density
-1 to -2.5	Osteopenia (low bone mass)
< -2.5	Osteoporosis (low calcium in bones)

Osteoporosis may be diagnosed in postmenopausal women and in men aged 50 years and older if the T-score of the lumbar spine, total hip, or femoral neck is -2.5 or less.

The following are graphic representations of bone densities (as per the T-scores), of more than 4,500 adults who got their BMD tested at Suburban Diagnostics over the past 6 years:

Important facts emerging from our study are:

A higher proportion of males had low bone density in the 30-39 years and 40-49 years age groups compared to females in the same age groups – 41% and 50% respectively in males versus 31% and 40% in females.
The vast majority of women experienced a significant drop in bone density in the postmenopausal age groups.

Please note:

Males are just as (if not more) susceptible as females for osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis can be seen even in their 30s and 40s.
BMD testing is essential for assessing osteopenia and osteoporosis, especially for postmenopausal women.

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