What does a DEXA scan provide to assess fracture risk?

What does a DEXA scan provide to assess fracture risk?

• A. The rate of bone formation on a histologic sample
• B. Vitamin D levels in blood
• C. Bone turnover markers in urine
• D. T-scores comparing bone density to a young healthy reference to assess fracture risk

Answer: (D)

DEXA scanning provides bone mineral density measurements and a T-score, which expresses how the patient’s density compares to a young, healthy reference population. This comparison is what links the result to fracture risk because lower bone density strongly correlates with higher risk of fractures. The T-score helps categorize bone health and guide treatment decisions. DEXA does not measure histologic bone formation, vitamin D levels, or bone turnover markers in urine—that information comes from other tests.

DEXA scanning provides bone mineral density measurements and a T-score, which expresses how the patient’s density compares to a young, healthy reference population. This comparison is what links the result to fracture risk because lower bone density strongly correlates with higher risk of fractures. The T-score helps categorize bone health and guide treatment decisions. DEXA does not measure histologic bone formation, vitamin D levels, or bone turnover markers in urine—that information comes from other tests.