Osteopenia

Osteopenia is mild thinning of the bones, but not as severe as osteoporosis. Osteopenia results when the formation of bone is not enough to offset normal bone loss. Osteopenia is generally considered the first step along the road to osteoporosis, a serious condition in which bone density is extremely low and bones are porous and prone to shatter. Diminished bone calcification, as seen on plain X-ray film, is referred to as osteopenia, whether or not osteoporosis is present. The diagnosis of osteopenia may also be made by a special X-ray machine for bone density testing. The World Health Organization defines osteopenia as a bone density between one standard deviation (SD) and 2.5 SD below the bone density of a normal young adult. Osteoporosis is defined as 2.5 SD or more below that reference point.