Evexia Comprehensive Bone Health Panel

Overview:

According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, by 2020, approximately 12.3 million individuals in the United States older than 50 years are expected to have osteoporosis. A primary concern for these individuals is osteoporotic fractures.  These fractures, especially hip fractures, are commonly associated with limited ambulation, chronic pain and disability, a loss of independence, and an overall decrease in the quality of life.  Furthermore, 21% to 30% of patients who experience a hip fracture die within one year.  Seventy-one percent of osteoporotic fractures occur among women.  Also, women have higher rates of osteoporosis than men at any given age; however, men have a higher fracture-related mortality rate than women. The prevalence of primary osteoporosis (i.e., osteoporosis without underlying disease) increases with age and differs by race/ethnicity. With the aging of the U.S. population, the potential preventable burden is likely to increase in future years.

It is important to remember that bone is living tissue, and therefore frequently breaks down and rebuilds at a constant rate similar to skin cells.  An imbalance of this metabolism can cause osteopenia (decreased bone density) and, ultimately, osteoporosis (bone loss).  According to the CDC, 5.1 percent of men 65 years of age and over have osteoporosis of the femur neck or lumbar spine, whereas 24.5 percent of women 65 years of age and over have osteoporosis of the femur neck or lumbar spine.

The Evexia Comprehensive Bone Health Panel includes tests such as vitamin D, testosterone, serum calcium, and serum protein electrophoresis, which can identify abnormal proteins produced by cancers that break down bone.  Other critical components of this panel are markers of bone resorption, like deoxypyridinoline cross-links, and markers of bone formation, such as bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and intact N-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen.  This robust panel also incorporates several standard tests such as a complete blood count, a comprehensive metabolic panel, a thyroid panel, a lipid panel, and a complete urinalysis.

This panel comes with a free* Functional Health Report when Evexia Nutraceuticals are recommended.  *A $5 fee is applied when recommendations other than Evexia Nutraceuticals are selected.