A score between 10 to 25 means you have low bone density osteopenia. Some authors advocate a definition of a high BMD where the Z-score is 25 to highlight to clinicians the potential for underlying pathology 2.

Bone Densitometry

These numbers do not express z scores but are actual bone density.

Bone density z score. A lower Z-score means your BMD is lower and a higher Z-score means its higher. Your bone density test result also includes a Z-score that compares your bone density to what is normal in someone your age and body size. Lumbar Spine total bone mineral density 0767 gmcm2 T score -25 and Z score -14 Osteoporosis fracture risk High.

Scores indicate the amount ones bone mineral density varies from the mean. Your bone density test results are reported in two numbers. Z-score is the measure of the density of a persons bone in comparison to whats expected in a person of equivalent age sex and size.

Women with lower BMD but not yet osteoporosis may wish to pursue. For instance if your Z score is 20 or more it means that very few people your age have a bone density that low and it signals the need for a complete medical workup looking for all possible cause of excessive bone loss. Most experts recommend using Z-scores rather than T-scores for children teens women still having periods and younger men.

The young normal or T-score indicates how your BMD compares to that of a healthy 30 year-old. A Z score on the other hand assesses your bone density in comparison to the bone density found in other individuals of your same demographic. Less than 05 of patients who underwent DXA-scanning were found to have a T- or Z-score of more than 40 often the cause of an unusually high bone mass HBM and associated with mild skeletal dysplasia and the inability to float in water.

Pediatricians use percentiles to interpret the height of a child. A normal BMD Z-score ranges from -25 to 25 3 4. The Z-score is the number of standard deviations away from the average value of the reference group.

For example if you are a 60-year-old female a Z-score compares your bone density to the average bone density of 60-year-old females. If the Z-score is -084 then 20 of people have a lower bone density. Peak bone density is reached by age 30 and should ideally be maintained at this level throughout your life.

Any post menopausal woman should always request her T-score rather than just her Z-score. The osteoporosis Z-score on the other hand represents a womans bone density results in comparison to a person of her age sex weight and ethnicity. A low Z-score below -20 is a warning sign that you have less bone mass andor may be losing bone more rapidly than expected for someone your age.

Treatment depends upon the stage of osteoporosis. Among older adults low bone mineral density is common so Z-scores can be misleading. The T-score is in units of standard.

Your T-score is your bone density compared with what is normally expected in a healthy young adult of your sex. A person who is average has a Z-score of zero and is at the 50th percentile. If your Z-score is -2 or below your bone density is worse than average for people of your demographic characteristics.

Normal Range of Z-Score. A Z score below -20 means that you have less bone mass than someone. If ones Z-score is abnormally skewed this could represent an external factor aside from aging that is causing atypical bone loss.

Your doctor will interpret your T-score in relation to your physical exam risks and medical history and explain what your bone density scan results mean to you. The percentile is the percent of people in the population who have a lower bone density. Left hip total bone mineral density is 0794 gmcm2 T score -12 and Z score -05 Osteopenia fracture risk increased.

Epidemiology of bone loss. A Z-score compares your bone density to the average bone density of people your own age and gender. Hunter D and Sambrook PN.

A high bone mineral density is one where the bone mineral density BMD is usually greater than two standard deviations above what is expected for age. As BMD decreases from this peak density fracture risk increases. A score of 25 or below means you have osteoporosis.

What Do I Do If I Have A Low Bone Mineral Density Score. In general a negative number on your bone density scan results indicates some bone loss and a higher negative number suggests that your chances of acquiring a bone fracture are greater than normal. Why would a bone density of 0675gmcm2 give a t score of -22 at left hip but a bone density of 0681grcm2 which is higher than 0675grcm2 at lumbar spine give a t-score of -33.

It must be noted that the T-score can predict fracture risk better than the Z-score. This can sometimes be seen on routine DXA scan assessment. A low Z-score is associated with secondary osteoporosis.

Your T-score is the number of units called standard deviations that your bone density is above or below the average. Negative scores indicate lower bone density and positive scores indicate higher. If your Z-score is -1 0 or a positive number your bone density is comparable to that of other people of your demographic characteristics.

A Z-score compares your bone density to the average values for a person of your same age and gender. The Z-score report meanwhile shows deviations of above or below the bone density level from an expected bone density according to a normal persons age sex race and weight. This report is useful for it helps determine the type of osteoporosis and the causes for the abnormal bone loss.

The Z score is an indication of how much bone mass you have compared with other people of your age gender and size. A normal Z-score means that you have a similar BMD to other healthy people in your age group.