Osteoporosis screening

Available at our DEVIZES Clinic

Osteoporosis is a condition where bone material is gradually lost so that bones become more fragile. Osteoporosis means porous (spongy) bone and affects three million women over the age of 50 in the UK. Each year there are around 70,000 hip, 120,000 spine and 50,000 wrist fractures due to osteoporosis.

Women are affected more often than men for two main reasons:

The process of bone loss speeds up for several years after the menopause, when the ovaries stop producing oestrogen. This accelerated bone loss can lead to an imbalance and cause osteoporosi
Men generally reach a higher level of bone density before the process of bone loss begins. Bone loss still occurs in men but it may never reach a point where the bone is significantly weakened.

How is osteoporosis diagnosed?

There are usually no obvious physical symptoms of osteoporosis and quite often the first sign is when someone breaks a bone in a relatively minor fall or accident.

If a doctor suspects osteoporosis, it is important to assess if you are at risk. Osteoporosis is diagnosed using a bone density scan. However not everyone fits the criteria for bone density testing and it does involve a small amount of radiation exposure. However an excellent alternative is calculating your risk of fracture using a score called Frax together with a simple scan interpreted by the Osteoporosis Consultant.

A Group of local Bath Consultants with an interest in Bone disease and osteoporosis are offering to screen our patient population so that we can identify those people with osteoporosis and those at risk of developing the condition in the future. This service is not currently available on the NHS unless very strict criteria are met and these would already have been identified by your own GP.

An assessment scan and report under this initiative will cost you £60.00. It is fast, accurate and involves no radiation, with each appointment taking approximately 30-40 minutes. If a patient needs further investigation they will then be referred back to their own GP for further discussion.

If your scan is positive and you still do not meet the strict NHS criteria you will be offered the option of a DEXA scan at CircleBath hospital at a reduced cost.

If you are already on treatment for osteoporosis, then this test is not required for you.