HEALTH RISK

What is a bone profile test?

A bone profile test includes examining calcium, alkaline phosphatase, phosphate, and albumin levels in your blood, along with a bone density scan. Calcium, alkaline phosphatase, phosphate, and albumin are essential minerals and enzymes present in your blood and ascertaining their levels helps determine the status and functioning of your bones. Whereas a bone density scan reveals how sturdy your bones are to withstand forces on the body during daily activities. Let us understand these in more depth.

Our bones are meant to enable movement, maintain the body posture, absorb forces that tend to displace the body and throw it off balance, provide shape to the body parts, and also protect your internal organs. But, to carry out these functions it needs a wholesome supply of minerals and enzymes described above, deficiency or excess of which may predispose your bones to damage and disorders. Some important causes of these and bone disorders include.

Why is bone testing important?

To understand why a bone test is important, you need to understand the importance of each of the parameters examined in a bone profile test.

• Calcium

Calcium is required for the effective functioning of your bones. It is an important indicator of how well your kidneys and parathyroid glands are working. A deficiency or excess of calcium levels in your blood points to disease or disorders of the bones, kidneys, etc.

• Alkaline Phosphatase

Your bones make an enzyme or aprotein called Alkaline Phosphatase that helps in the growth of your bones. Abnormal levels of Alkaline Phosphatase are associated with osteoporosis, bone cancers, and Paget’s disease.

• Phosphate

Phosphate teams up with Calcium in your blood and bones to help in your bone formation and repair during daily wear and tear. Abnormal levels point to Kidney disorders, signifying the ineffective clearing away of phosphate from your blood and urine.

• Albumin

Albumin helps keep your blood vessels intact. It, therefore, is essential to keep your nutrient supply constant to your bones. A lower level of albumin has been associated with osteoporosis.