A DEXA scan gives you numbers Loopa cannot estimate. If you have had one, its four figures go in with the rest of your labs and feed the screens that care about body composition.
Protocols are a Loopa Premium feature. Body-fat estimates from your own measurements are separate and are covered on BMI and body composition.
The four markers
Enter them on a lab panel like any other result:
| Marker | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DEXA lean mass | kg (or lb) | Enter what the report says |
| DEXA fat mass | kg (or lb) | Enter what the report says |
| Bone mineral density | g/cm² | As printed |
| Bone density T-score | none | Can be negative, and negative values are stored as given |
The T-score is the one people trip over. It is normally a negative number and Loopa keeps the sign exactly as you typed it.
What they change
Lean and fat mass go into your body-composition history, so a DEXA reading sits on the same chart as your measurement-based estimates and you can see how they compare.
Entered together on one panel date, they also produce a body-fat point for that date, marked as coming from a DEXA rather than from an estimate.
That point is what can switch on the third input of the lean-mass score, which needs two body-fat readings before it has a direction to report.
Bone density and the T-score are stored and shown as you entered them.
No reference ranges
Loopa shows no normal range for any of these and marks nothing high or low.
That is deliberate. A T-score is interpreted against your age, sex, history and what the scan was for, and a green tick beside a number is a clinical judgement an app is not in a position to make. Your report and the person who ordered it have the interpretation.
Getting the most from one
- Enter every scan. Two readings months apart say far more than one.
- Enter the whole panel on the scan date, not the day you typed it in.
- Keep your measurements going too. They fill the long gaps between scans.
- Put a question on the panel if something in the report puzzles you. It goes on the first page of your appointment summary.
Related
- BMI and body composition
- The lean-mass score
- Body measurements
- Long-term follow-up and labs
- Progress and plateaus
- Preparing for a prescriber appointment
Where this comes from
The values are the ones you enter from your own report. Loopa does not give medical advice, publishes no reference ranges for these markers, and takes no view on what a result means. Sources for health information elsewhere in this knowledge base are at loopahealth.app/sources.
