How Is Osteoporosis Diagnosed? A Doctor Explains
These tests are the only way to reveal bone health before fracture occurs.

You might associate certain symptoms with osteoporosis, like frailness or a stooped posture, but the truth is, those characteristics don’t develop until osteoporosis has reached an advanced stage. In the earlier stages of osteoporosis, the disease is much more silent.
“The only way to know if you have osteoporosis is by doing a bone density test,” says Sonal Chaudhry, MD, endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health. There’s one exception: “If you’ve had a fragility fracture in the past, that by definition means that you do have osteoporosis.”
Bone Density Tests for Osteoporosis
A bone density test is an X-ray that estimates how dense your bone mineral is, which can reveal your risk of fractures. For most people, doctors recommend bone density tests for all women over age 65 and men over age 70, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
Those recommendations vary based on your personal risk factors. “If you’re menopausal, and you’re between the ages of 50 and 65, and you have risk factors, it’s also appropriate to do bone density testing,” says Dr. Chaudhry.
Risk factors for osteoporosis include:
Early menopause
History of eating disorders
History of skipped periods
Family history of osteoporosis
Celiac disease
Inflammatory bowel disease
Smoking
Or consuming more than two alcoholic drinks a day.
Having any risk factors for osteoporosis could make you eligible for a bone density test as early as age 50.
Understanding Bone Density Test Results
A bone density test will provide a T-score and a Z-score. The T-score compares your bone density to that of a younger, healthy adult; a Z-score compares your bone density to what is normal in someone your age and body size.
Here’s how doctors interpret a T-score from a bone density test:
A T-score greater than -1 indicates a normal bone density.
A T-score between -1 and -2.5 indicates low bone mass, known as osteopenia. Your doctor may recommend certain lifestyle habits to manage osteopenia.
A T-score lower than -2.5 indicates osteoporosis. Your doctor will recommend treatment for osteoporosis to reduce your risk of fracture.
Your T-score may not tell the whole story, especially for younger people (such as women who are still having periods). This is when Z-scores may be more informative.
If someone has a Z-score below -2.5, doctors will likely look for secondary causes of low bone density, such as:
Hyperparathyroidism
Blood disorders
Or excess calcium excreted through the urine.
“Screening is really important because you don’t ‘feel’ osteoporosis,” says Dr. Chaudhry. “You don’t know that it’s there unless you have the test—unless you have a fracture.”
Dr. Chaudhry is an endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City.
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,064
[MUSIC]
2
00:00:03,064 --> 00:00:07,209
So osteoporosis in and of itself
doesn't cause any symptoms until or
3
00:00:07,209 --> 00:00:09,504
unless you unfortunately fracture.
4
00:00:09,504 --> 00:00:13,297
So the only way to know if you have
osteoporosis is by doing a bone
5
00:00:13,297 --> 00:00:14,227
density test.
6
00:00:14,227 --> 00:00:17,305
Or if you've had a fragility
fracture in the past,
7
00:00:17,305 --> 00:00:20,763
that by definition means that
you do have osteoporosis
8
00:00:20,763 --> 00:00:27,973
[MUSIC]
9
00:00:27,973 --> 00:00:31,607
In the absence of risk factors,
all women over the age of 65 and
10
00:00:31,607 --> 00:00:35,593
all men over the age of 70 should
have screening bone density tests.
11
00:00:35,593 --> 00:00:38,782
If you're menopausal and
in between the ages of 50 and 65 and
12
00:00:38,782 --> 00:00:42,577
you have risk factors, it's also
appropriate to do bone density testing.
13
00:00:42,577 --> 00:00:46,352
People who are considered highest risk
are women who have gone through menopause
14
00:00:46,352 --> 00:00:49,295
early, women who have a history
of either disordered eating or
15
00:00:49,295 --> 00:00:51,254
skipped periods when they were younger.
16
00:00:51,254 --> 00:00:55,556
Women who have a family history of
osteoporosis, if you have celiac disease,
17
00:00:55,556 --> 00:00:59,680
inflammatory bowel disease,
if you're a smoker you're at higher risk.
18
00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,502
If you drink more than two drinks a day,
you're considered at higher risk.
19
00:01:03,502 --> 00:01:06,230
So a bone density test is
similar to an X-ray and
20
00:01:06,230 --> 00:01:09,670
it's giving you a sense of
what your fracture risk is.
21
00:01:09,670 --> 00:01:12,312
It's measuring a T-score and a Z-score.
22
00:01:12,312 --> 00:01:19,090
So the T-score is a parameter that is
comparing you to a young healthy adult.
23
00:01:19,090 --> 00:01:24,000
And so if your T-score is greater than -1,
that's considered normal bone density.
24
00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:29,310
If your T-score is between -1 and
-2.5, that's low bone mass or
25
00:01:29,310 --> 00:01:33,760
osteopenia, which in and of itself doesn't
increase your risk of fracture, but
26
00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,518
certainly does increase
your risk of osteoporosis.
27
00:01:36,518 --> 00:01:42,740
If your T-score is less than -2.5,
it's consistent with osteoporosis.
28
00:01:42,740 --> 00:01:48,170
The Z-score is comparing your bone
density to an age-matched peer.
29
00:01:48,170 --> 00:01:49,500
And if you have a low Z-score,
30
00:01:49,500 --> 00:01:54,900
which is characterized by
a Z-score that's less than -2,
31
00:01:54,900 --> 00:01:59,110
then we look for secondary causes that may
be contributing to your low bone density.
32
00:01:59,110 --> 00:02:03,740
We may look for things like
hyperthyroidism or hyperparathyroidism.
33
00:02:03,740 --> 00:02:08,370
We may wanna make sure you don't have
a hematologic problem that's contributing,
34
00:02:08,370 --> 00:02:11,860
or that you're not excreting
too much calcium in your urine.
35
00:02:11,860 --> 00:02:15,400
Screening is really important
because you don't feel osteoporosis.
36
00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,104
You don't know that it's there unless you
have the test, unless you have a fracture.
37
00:02:19,104 --> 00:02:25,427
[MUSIC]
Bone density exam/testing. Arlington, VA: National Osteoporosis Foundation. (Accessed on February 25, 2019at https://www.nof.org/patients/diagnosis-information/bone-density-examtesting/.)
Bone mass measurement: what the numbers mean. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. (Accessed on February 25, 2019 at https://www.bones.nih.gov/health-info/bone/bone-health/bone-mass-measurement-what-numbers-mean.)