Osteopenia

Osteopenia is a condition where bone mineral density is lower than normal. It is considered by many doctors to be a precursor to osteoporosis. However, not every person diagnosed with osteopenia will develop osteoporosis. More specifically, osteopenia is defined as a bone mineral density T-score between -1.0 and -2.5.

Bone Density

Bone density (or bone mineral density) is a medical term referring to the amount of matter per square centimeter of bones. Note that this is not a true “density”, which would be measured in mass per cubic area. It is measured by a procedure called densitometry, often performed in the radiology or nuclear medicine departments of hospitals or clinics. The measurement is painless and non-invasive and involves minimal radiation exposure. Measurements are most commonly made over the lumbar spine and over the upper part of the hip. The forearm is scanned if either the hip or the lumbar spine can’t be. Average density is around 1500 kg m-3.