A major advance in the assessment of fracture risk

Available free online - www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX/

WHAT IS FRAX®?
FRAX is a simple calculation tool that integrates clinical information in a quantitative manner to predict the
10-year probability of major osteoporotic fracture for both women and men in different countries. Developed
at the Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Sheffield, UK, the tool assists primary health-care
providers to better target people in need of intervention, improving the allocation of health-care resources
towards patients most likely to benefit from treatment. FRAX models are now available for over 50 countries
and in more than 30 languages, with numbers increasing steadily.

WHY SHOULD DOCTORS USE FRAX TO ASSESS THE BONE HEALTH STATUS OF THEIR PATIENTS?
The ultimate aim of the clinician in the management of osteoporosis should be to reduce the risk of
fractures. Treatment decisions must be made through good clinical judgment and through improved
identification of patients at high risk.
Although bone mineral density is a strong predictor of fracture risk, the majority of fractures occur in people
with BMD above the osteoporosis threshold. Extensive research has taken place to identify risk factors that are
significant contributors to osteoporotic fracture risk, over and above that provided by BMD, age and gender.
The different contribution of the following risk factors is taken into account in the 10-year fracture probabilities
in FRAX:
• low body mass index • current smoking
• previous fragility fracture • alcohol intake (3 or more units per day)
• parental history of hip fracture • rheumatoid arthritis
• glucocorticoid treatment • other secondary causes of osteoporosis

WHY IS FRAX COUNTRY-SPECIFIC?

Life expectancy and fracture risk vary enormously in different regions and countries of the world, so that the
FRAX models need to be calibrated to the known epidemiology of fracture and death in each country or
population group.
The use of FRAX is recommended by an increasing number of national osteoporosis management guidelines
around the world. When making treatment decisions, physicians should consult their national or regional
recommendations for clinical guidance.
HOW TO ACCESS FRAX
• Free online calculator: www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX
• iPhone App for mobile devices: http://bit.ly/1gzHS9l
• Android App for mobile devices: http://bit.ly/1sbAR63
• Desktop application (for individual or multi-patient entry): www.frax-tool.org
• FRAX educational and scientific resources are also available at www.iofbonehealth.org

www.iofbonehealth.org