Should I Be Worried About Bone Loss? Use Our Quiz to Find Out
Got five minutes? Use it to take our quick quiz--and find out whether you’re at risk for osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is termed the “silent disease” because there really aren’t any physical signs and symptoms of the illness… that is, until you have a broken bone. But, what if you could detect your risk of developing the disease before you break a bone? And, if you knew you were at risk, would you do something about it?
To help you determine your osteoporosis risk, we’ve provided a quick and simple quiz. Print out this article and take the quiz now to find out your chances of bone loss.
Osteoporosis Risk Quiz
For the following questions, write a “5” in the “Points” column for “yes” and “0” for “no”.
|
Question |
Points |
| 1. Do you have a stooped posture (curvature of the spine at the shoulders)? | |
| 2. Have you noticed a loss of height over time? | |
| 3. Have you recently had a fracture of the hip or wrist? | |
| 4. Have you had a DEXA scan with a T score below -1? (A score of -2.5 or less confirms you have osteoporosis.) |
For the following questions, write a “2” in the “Points” column for “yes” and “0” for “no”.
|
Question |
Points |
| 1. Do you have a small body frame? | |
| 2. Have you been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism? (Too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss.) | |
| 3. Have you ever had an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia)? | |
4. Have you ever used any of the following medications:
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| 5. Do you frequently experience gastric reflux, heartburn and/or take medications for stomach problems (proton pump inhibitors, antacids, etc.)? | |
| 6. Have you ever used tobacco products? |
For the following questions, write a “1” in the “Points” column for “yes” and “0” for “no”.
|
Question |
Points |
| 1. Are you Caucasian or Asian descent? | |
| 2. Do you have a sedentary lifestyle (exercise rarely)? | |
| 3. Do you consume 3 or more alcoholic beverages per day? |
FEMALES ONLY – For the following questions, write a “2” in the “Points” column for “yes” and “0” for “no”.
|
Question |
Points |
| 1. Did you have an early menopause (before the age of 45) or surgical removal of the ovaries before 45? | |
| 2. Have you ever been diagnosed with estrogen deficiency? | |
| 3. Have you ever been diagnosed with amenorrhea (absence of menstrual periods over a long period of time)? | |
| 4. Are you currently in menopause? | |
| 5. Are you over the age of 50? | |
| 6. Have you ever used medications that reduce estrogen levels (such as drugs to treat breast cancer or endometriosis)? | |
| 7. Add a “2” to your score for being female. (Women are much more likely to develop osteoporosis than men.) |
2 |
MALES ONLY – For the following questions, write a “2” in the “Points” column for “yes” and “0” for “no”.
|
Question |
Points |
| 1. Have you ever been diagnosed with low testosterone levels? | |
| 2. Have you ever used medications that reduce testosterone levels (such as drugs to treat prostate cancer)? | |
| 3. Are you over the age of 65? (Typically, men start losing bone mineral density 15 to 20 years later than women.) |
***Calculating Your Osteoporosis Risk:
Add your values for the “Points” columns to determine your “total score”.
Total Score: _____________
0 to 4 = Low Risk
5 to 9 = Moderate Risk
10 to 20 = High Risk
21 to 30 = Very High Risk
31+ = Extremely High Risk
To determine your 10-year fracture risk, you can also use this osteoporosis risk calculator provided by the Foundation for Osteoporosis Research and Education.
You Have a Score of 5 or More… Now What?
Now that you know your chances of developing osteoporosis, it’s time to do something about it. While the disease is subtle, it can also be incapacitating if you ignore it. If you scored a “5” or higher on this quiz, it’s time to deploy some simple prevention techniques. By taking control of your own health and by implementing some key action steps, you can stop bone loss. Preventing osteoporosis is quite possible through natural healing modalities, but it involves a number of proactive steps in combination with each other, not just a single pill or action. See these stories to get you started:
Bone Spurs on the Spine 
Knee Injections for Osteoarthritis Pain Relief 
What Is a Slipped Rib? 