Osteoporosis, or brittle bone disease, can affect men and women of any age.
The Osteoporosis Risk Assessment test analyses a urine sample that you send to a laboratory. You can then phone for the result and counselling. The results are accurate and provide valuable information on prevention of this debilitating disease.
Whilst the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Test will not diagnose osteoporosis, it can help to identify if you are losing more bone than is considered normal. Every person loses a certain amount of bone each day. The body compensates for this by making more new bone. As the body loses bone a specific marker is released into the urine. By measuring this marker you can detect if too much bone is being lost.
Women over the age of 40 are more prone to the onset of the disease than other groups. Osteoporosis is caused by a loss of bone density. Early diagnosis can prevent the disease from deteriorating, however, diagnosis can only be effectively made using DXA bone scan. The disease is preventable and treatable if detected sufficiently early.
The test is not meant to be used instead of a DXA scan, but it can identify if you may be at risk of osteoporosis. There are of course several risk factors to consider such as:
Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
Poor diet
Small bone structure
Post or early menopausal status
Lack of exercise
Family history of osteoporosis
Use of steroid medication
It has been well established that load bearing exercise is the most effective form of osteoporosis prevention. Not everyone has access to a gymnasium or health club and therefore an exercise guide is available that shows easy to follow exercise that can be performed around the home. The exercises have been designed by a leading physiotherapist who specialises in prevention of osteoporosis.
