BMJ 1995;311:1300-1301 (11 November)

Letters

Bone mineral densitometry in clinical practice

Differences in reference values are important

EDITOR,--J E Compston and colleagues emphasise the merits of assessing bone density in patients relative to that in young adults (the T score) rather than relative to that in controls matched for age (the Z score), on the basis of the recommendations of an expert panel of the World Health Organisation.1 Consensus on this issue, however, is still lacking,2 and the T score has not been widely used clinically in Britain, where comparisons with controls matched for age still dominate.

Among the limitations of bone densitometry the authors briefly note the differences in the reference data provided by the manufacturers.3 Such reference data are critical to allow accurate assessment of bone density and thus determine whether intervention is recommended. We believe that the relevance and magnitude of these differences in reference data have not been fully and widely appreciated.

Number of patients attending for . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Fortnightly Review: Bone densitometry in clinical practice
J E Compston, C Cooper, and J A Kanis
BMJ 1995 310: 1507-1510. [Abstract] [Full Text]

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