OSTEOPENIA

Course overview

OSTEOPENIA DESCRIBES A DECREASE IN BONE MINERAL DENSITY (BMD) BELOW NORMAL REFERENCE VALUES, YET NOT LOW ENOUGH TO MEET THE DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR OSTEOPOROSIS. BMD IS DIAGNOSED VIA DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY (DXA) BONE SCANS. OSTEOPENIA, AS DEFINED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO), IS A T-SCORE BETWEEN -1 TO -2.5, WHILE VALUES LESS THAN -2.5 ARE DIAGNOSTIC FOR OSTEOPOROSIS. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF OSTEOPENIA AND ADDRESSES THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE CARE OF AFFECTED PATIENTS.