Postmenopausal osteoporosis
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Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a form of osteoporosis that commonly occurs during the decades after menopause. It is a pathological condition of the human skeleton that is characterized by the following features :
- low bone mass
- bone fragility caused by worsening of microscopic structural properties of the bone
- consequent susceptibility to fractures
Osteoporosis is assessed, according to WHO criteria, as bone mineral density (BMD). The T-score is a representation of patient's BMD expressed as number of standard deviations below or above mean BMD of the young adult.
T-score values below 2.5 SD are defined as characteristic of osteoporosis.
Values between -1 SD and -2.5 SD are defined as osteopenia.