[NATAP] Bone Disease & HIV: Bone Dexa Test

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Have You Had a Bone Dexa ??HIV+ individuals need to speak to their care provider about bone disease. A bone dexa is a test that takes little time and is used to detect if a person has bone loss. A number of studies have found 65% of HIV+ individuals have osteopenia, which is significant loss of bone mineral density, bone loss. Studies show 5-20% of HIV+ individuals have osteoporosis, which is more serious bone loss. On top of this the average age of patients in these studies who had bone loss was 45 years old. This is stunning because in the general population significant bone loss doesn't occur in general until elderly years of age. In addition to the standard risk factors for bone loss in the general population, HIV-infected individuals have a number of other risk factors including:-- HIV itself may cause bone metabolism dysfunction-- although it has not been researched some think perhaps mitochondrial dysfunction might affect bone metabolism, which could be due to certain nukes.--smoking is a traditional risk factor and obviously smoking is prevalent among HIV+ persons--drinking alcohol is a risk factor--low body weight, being skinny, is a risk factor and people with HIV can have low BMI associated with lipoatrophy or just weight loss--use antidepressants have been found to be associated with bone loss in studies in non-HIV-infected--as well, use proton pump inhibitors have also been found to be associated with bone loss in non-HIV-infectedThese could be some of the reasons why the rates of osteopenia are so high among HIV+ individuals. The best way to deal with potential bone loss is through preventive actions, but in order to take preventive actions you must know if you have bone loss. If a person has bone loss certain lifestyle changes may help and certain lab tests should be performed to see what the causes might be. Certain causes can be addressed without taking bone medications. It can be very helpful to see a doctor who is a bone expert to review all of this with them. You can usually find a bone expert or endocrinologist who is expert in bone disease at your local hospital.Here are links to important information to educate your self about bone disease. Your HIV care provider may not be well informed about bone disease so you can ask him or her if they are knowledgable or not. They can however refer you for a bone dexa test and refer you to a bone expert for care.OsteoporosisMedical Author:  C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR Medical Editor: Dennis Lee, MDWhat is osteoporosis?What are the symptoms of osteoporosis?What are the consequences of osteoporosis?Why is osteoporosis an important public health issue?What factors determine bone strength?What are risk factors for developing and causes of osteoporosis?How is osteoporosis diagnosed?Who should have bone density testing?How is osteoporosis treated and prevented?Exercise, quitting cigarettes, and curtailing alcoholCalcium supplementsVitamin DHormone therapy (hormone replacement therapy, menopausal replacement therapy)Medications that prevent bone loss and breakdownChoosing an osteoporosis medicationPrevention of osteoporosis caused by long term corticosteroidsMonitoring osteoporosis therapy medicationPrevention of hip fractures in elderly persons with osteoporosisOsteoporosis At A GlanceRelated osteoporosis articles:Osteoporosis - on WebMDOsteoporosis - on eMedicineHealthThe Famous, the infamous, the lame - in your browser. Get the TMZ Toolbar Now!