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Know Your Osteoporosis Blood Test Markers

No matter which osteoporosis drug your doctor chooses for you, it's helpful to know as much as possible about how the disease has affected you. One way to tell is to ask about your "markers."

When you're being treated for osteoporosis, your doctor orders a blood or urine test. This reveals several markers -- levels of different enzymes, proteins, and other substances circulating in the body -- that provide clues about your disease and the progress of your treatment.

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Some of these measures include:

Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (Bone ALP or BALP). This is an estimate of the rate of bone formation over your entire skeleton. Bone formation may sound like a good thing, but depending on the circumstances, too much can be bad. People with osteoporosis generally have BALP levels that are up to three times normal.
Osteocalcin. This is another marker of bone formation.
Urinary N-telopeptide of type I collagen, or uNTX. This is a marker of bone resorption, or loss of bone.
Vitamin D levels. This measure assesses whether you have a deficiency of vitamin D, which is essential for your body's absorption of calcium. You can be taking plenty of calcium, but if you don't have enough vitamin D, it won't be efficiently absorbed by your body.