The characterization of population displacement for early diagnosis of osteoporosis: a study on the performance of X-ray and DXA exams in northern Brazil

Abstract

DXA is the gold standard for bone density measurement. Brazil is divided into 5 regions (North, South, Southeast, Midwest and Northeast). The northern region has some peculiarities (difficult outpatient access and imaging diagnosis, in addition to the low Human Development Index – HDI) that precludes the rapid diagnosis of diseases. Radiographic Densitometry is a technique that allows the measurement of bone density by means of radiographic images. The aim of this study is to characterize population displacement for DXA and X-ray examinations for osteoporosis diagnosis. To perform the study, quantitative information on the number of DXA and X-rays was extracted. With this, it was possible to design through the Tableau software execution of the algorithm, a model visualization. For the realization of the DXA, the displacement occurs in approximately 426 municipalities in northern Brazil. For radiographic examinations, the dislocation is summarized in 150 municipalities. It can be concluded that the ANS allowed observing the displacement of people between cities to perform the examinations. X-ray and DXA, aiming at the diagnosis of osteoporosis.