FRAX^® - WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool

To access the calculation tool and for further information:
VISIT THE FRAX® WEBSITE

The launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) technical report, Assessment of osteoporosis at the primary health care level¹ and the related FRAX^® tool are major milestones towards helping health professionals worldwide to improve identification of patients at high risk of fracture for treatment.

FRAX^® website: http://www.shef.ac.ukFRAX/

The practical web-based tool, FRAX^® , predicts the ten-year risk of osteoporosis fracture in men and women. It is of considerable use to health care professionals and policy makers throughout the world, particularly in places where there are few DXA machines. An individual’s risk factors such as age, sex, weight, height, and femoral neck BMD if available, are entered into the website tool, followed by clinical risk factors which include a prior fragility fracture, parental history of hip fracture, current tobacco smoking, long-term use of glucocorticoids, rheumatoid arthritis, other causes of secondary osteoporosis and daily alcohol consumption. The FRAX^® algorithm then provides a figure indicating a ten-year fracture probability as a percentage, which provides guidance for determining access to treatment in healthcare systems.

Publications and References:

Assessment of osteoporosis at the primary health care level, authored by Prof. Kanis et al. and first released on February 21, 2008, is a technical report based on epidemiological and health economic analyses of population-based cohorts worldwide. This report is not yet available on line, but limited quantities are available from IOF upon request.

The summary report can be downloaded here:
www.who.int/chp/topics/rheumatic/en/index.html

References and additional publications:

(Complete references available on http://www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX/reference.htm )

1. Kanis JA on behalf of the World Health Organization Scientific Group (2008) Assessment of osteoporosis at the primary health care level. Technical Report. World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases. University of Sheffield, UK.

2. World Health Organization. Assessment of osteoporosis at the primary health care level. Summary Report of a WHO Scientific Group. WHO, Geneva. www.who.int/chp/topics/rheumatic/en/index.html

3.Case finding for the management of osteoporosis with FRAX®—assessment and intervention thresholds for the UK. J. A. Kanis, E. V. McCloskey, H. Johansson, O. Strom, F. Borgstrom, A. Oden and National Osteoporosis Guideline Group
Osteoporos Int (2008) 1395-1408. Click here to access full article on the publisher's website

4. Kanis JA, Burlet N, Cooper C, Delmas PD, Reginster, JY, Borgström F, Rizzoli R, on behalf of the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO). European guidance for the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women (PDF, 531.6 KB). Osteoporos Int (2008) 19:399-428.

5. World Health Organization. (1994). Assessment of fracture risk and its application to screening postmenopausal osteoporosis. Technical Report series 843. WHO Geneva

6. Assessment of 10-year absolute fracture risk: a new paradigm with worldwide application. (PDF, 52.7 KB) Siris E and Delmas PD. Osteoporos Int (2008) 19:383-384

7. FRAX™ and the assessment of fracture probability in men and women from the UK (PDF, 368.6 KB)
Kanis JA, Johnell O, Oden A, Johansson H and McCloskey E.
Osteoporos Int (2008) 19:385-397

8. Development and application of a Japanese model of the WHO fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX™) (PDF, 229.2 KB)
Fujiwara S, Nakamura T, Orimo H, Hosoi T, Gorai I, Oden A, Johansson H and Kanis JA. Osteoporos Int (2008) 19:429-435

9. Cost-effective osteoporosis treatment thresholds: the United States perspective
Tosteson ANA, Melton LJ, Dawson-Hughes B, Baim S, Favus MJ, Khosla S and Lindsay RL. Osteoporos Int (2008) 19:437-447

9. Implications of absolute fracture risk assessment for osteoporosis practice guidelines in the USA
Dawson-Hughes B, Tosteson ANA, Melton LJ, Baim S, Favus MJ, Khosla S and Lindsay RL. Osteoporos Int (2008) 19: 449-458

10. Absolute fracture risk reporting in clinical practice: A physician-centered survey
Leslie WD and for the Manitoba Bone Density Program
Osteoporos Int (2008) 19:459-463

11. New Tool Measures 10-Year Fracture Risk
Bridget M. Kuehn
JAMA. 2008;299(14):1651-1652.

FRAX® - WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool

Publications and References:

References and additional publications:

FRAX^® - WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool