A Geriatric Patient Asks a Nurse About the Significance of a Bone

Multiple Choice

A geriatric patient asks a nurse about the significance of a bone mineral densitometry (DEXA) T-score measurement of -0.75.What response by the nurse is most accurate?

A) "A negative score on DEXA indicates that you are at a much higher risk of sustaining fractures because your bone density is lower than average."
B) "DEXA compares the amount of bone you have with that a young adult of the same gender with peak bone mass.A T-score above -1 is considered normal."
C) "This kind of scan is not very reliable for geriatric patients.You need to know your Z-score to interpret the significance of this test."
D) "Your T-score of -0.75 means you have osteoporosis, and you will need to take medication to improve your bone mass."