Age induced Osteoporosis is more common among people who are in their middle and late middle ages. Once set, this debilitating condition worsens day by day as the patient gets older in age. Like any other organs in our body, bone mass will also undergo heavy degradation either with age or due to a combination of various other reasons. Osteoporosis can result in painful fractures and in a brittle bone mass. Women are at higher risk for Osteoporosis than men do, because of their frail frame and smaller bone mass. Loss of estrogen activity may also cause Osteoporosis in women who have passed menopause stage of their life.

  Osteoporosis is perceived to be a silent killer and it may appear as suddenly as any other crippling diseases. A comprehensive medical test is the only way by which you can find out the amount of bone that is left in the body. A bone densitometer is one such test that finds out accurate measurement of total amount of bone mineral. The bone densitometer uses a definite quantity of X-Ray to calculate the bone mass.

 The bone densitometer test is rather very simple and takes less than fifteen minutes to conduct a normal test. It is just like a large examination table on which you are made to lie down during the test. Your personal details like name, age, height, weight and other relevant details are recorded on a computer. You may need to remove all those metal items like jewelry and belt buckles so that they will not interfere with the result. The examiner will then conduct this painless test within 15 minutes.

 Even though X ray is used to measure the bone mass, the quantity used is rather harmless for your body. However, pregnant women are required to inform the examiner about their health status before undergoing this test. This test is an indicator to find out if you have an incidence of Osteoporosis in your body. This test compares the total amount of bone mineral density (BMD) in your body to that of a normal human being at a peak bone strength. It also gives some results that are comparable to your own age group and such results are called "age matching." The existing difference between your result and hat of a "young adult" is given as a T-score. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the T scores are represented as:

1. Normal: a T-score that is above -1
2. Osteoporosis (low bone density): a T-score between -1 and -2.5
3. Osteoporosis: a T-score below -2.5

Your physician can pinpoint anomalies based on the T-score. The bone densitometer can also monitor the ill effects of age, diet, or treatment on your bone status. Bone densitometers also provide vital information about fracture risk, by measuring bone mineral density in such areas like spine, femur, and wrist. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) is the leading institution on Osteoporosis related symptoms and treatments. This prestigious institute recommends woman having a bone densitometer checkup if they are:

1. Over 65 years of age
2. Past their menopause age and a score of >1 risk factor
3. On a prolonged hormone replacement therapy.
4. On an Osteoporosis related medical therapy.