
What is considered a high Frax score?
Treatment options for high FRAX score
- Lifestyle changes. Some FRAX scores indicate that lifestyle changes should be sufficient to manage the risk of fractures.
- Preventing falls. Falls account for nearly 90% of fractures in people with osteoporosis. ...
- Medication. A high FRAX score indicates that the person might need medical treatment in addition to making these lifestyle changes.
How to calculate Frax score?
FRAX score calculator. After you or your doctor fills in all your information on the questionnaire, your FRAX score will be calculated. You’ll receive a 10-year risk percentage of a major ...
When to start bisphosphonate Frax?
This means making your home safer by:
- getting rid of throw rugs
- installing grab bars if necessary
- improving the floor lighting at night
- wearing shoes that aren’t likely to slip
How to interpret Frax results?
Interpreting the FRAX score. Note that a 10-year probability of a hip fracture ≥ 3% from the FRAX tool or a 10-year probability of a major osteoporosis-related fracture ≥ 20% from the Frax tool is an indication for pharmacotherapy in the setting of osteopenia or low bone mass (T-score between -1.0 and -2.5 at the femoral neck or spine)

What is considered a high FRAX score?
greater than -1: normal. -1 to -2.5: low bone mass (called osteopenia, a potential precursor condition to osteoporosis) less than -2.5: typically indicates osteoporosis.
What does a FRAX score of 10% mean?
The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends treating patients with FRAX 10-year risk scores of 'greater than or equal to 3 percent' for hip fracture or 'greater than or equal to 20 percent' for a major osteoporotic fracture to reduce fracture risk.
What percentage is considered high risk for fracture?
Introduction: We determined the agreement between a FRAX designation of high risk of fracture [defined as 10-year major osteoporotic fracture probability (≥ 20%) or hip fracture probability (≥ 3%)] and the WHO categorizations of bone mineral density according to T-score.
What is considered high risk for osteoporotic fracture?
In the 2020 update of the Endocrine Society's clinical practice guideline for the pharmacological management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, very high risk is defined as including severe or multiple vertebral fractures in addition to a BMD T-score of ≤−2.5 at the hip or spine.
What is a 10-year fracture risk?
Your FRAX® score estimates your chance of breaking a hip as well as your combined chance of breaking a hip or other major bones over the next ten years. Other major bones include the spine, hip, forearm and shoulder.
What is considered a major fracture?
They are cracks and breaks that are contained within the skin. They are best determined through x-ray scans. Closes fractures, on the other hand, can be compound and complex. The fracture is significant enough to have broken the skin. Displaced and undisplaced fractures.
When can you not report a FRAX?
In the United States, the National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends using FRAX to calculate fracture risk for patients who have T-scores between −1.0 and −2.5 in the spine, femoral neck, or total hip region. FRAX should not be used for patients who have already received pharmacologic treatment for osteoporosis.
What is the T-score for severe osteoporosis?
A T-score between −1 and −2.5 indicates that you have low bone mass, although not low enough to be diagnosed with osteoporosis. A T-score of −2.5 or lower indicates that you have osteoporosis. The greater the negative number, the more severe the osteoporosis.
When do you treat based on FRAX score?
The current National Osteoporosis Foundation Guide recommends treating patients with FRAX 10-year risk scores of > or = 3% for hip fracture or > or = 20% for major osteoporotic fracture, to reduce their fracture risk.
Why is a FRAX score important?
The FRAX score can then be useful for determining whether someone needs treatment or further testing.
What does a FRAX score mean?
A FRAX score indicates the risk of a fracture in a person with osteoporosis. Doctors can use it to determine the best measures to prevent fractures and treat the condition. In this article, we look at what a FRAX score is, the results, and when to see a doctor.
What does FRAX stand for?
FRAX stands for Fracture Risk Assessment Tool. A research group at the University of Sheffield developed the tool to predict the risk of fractures in a person with osteoporosis within the next 10 years. It has now become widespread as a clinical tool.
How does a frax score affect osteoporosis?
By weakening the bones, osteoporosis increases the risk of fractures. A FRAX score can help doctors identify people with a high risk of fractures who may need additional support. The tool consists of questions relating to 12 factors that can increase the risk of fractures. These factors are:
What class of medication helps prevent bone loss?
Bisphosphonates: Medications belonging to this class help prevent bone loss and reduce the risk of fractures.
What is the primary care use of FRAX?
Primary care use of FRAX: absolute fracture risk assessment in postmenopausal women and older men
Is FRAX valid for postmenopausal women?
FRAX was developed by the WHO to be applicable to both postmenopausal women and men aged 40 to 90 years; the National Osteoporosis Foundation Clinician's Guide focuses on its utility in postmenopausal women and men aged >50 years. It is validated to be used in untreated patients only.
How Does FRAX Work?
FRAX is administered by a health care provider and can be used for those who meet certain conditions:
What Tests Are Needed Before Using FRAX?
Your doctor will order a bone density test. It’s a painless, non-invasive scan that measures bone strength in your hip and spine. The test usually takes less than 15 minutes.
How Accurate is FRAX?
While the FRAX tool can offer accuracy in assessing risk for bone fractures, critics say it underestimates the fracture risk in people who:
What is the FRAX calculator?
The FRAX calculator estimates your risk of a fracture and is used by clinicians to prescribe an osteoporosis treatment plan. Exercise is an essential ingredient to bone health. If you have osteoporosis, therapeutic exercise needs to be part of your osteoporosis treatment program.
Who developed the FRAX risk assessment calculator?
The University of Sheffield developed the FRAX risk assessment calculator. It relies upon data from 34 countries within the World Health Organization.
When you have a choice of just the data that you’re entering and you choose T-score, what?
When you have a choice of just the data that you’re entering and you choose T-score, use the T-score that is provided you by Dr. Susan Ott’s website.
Does FRAX affect bones?
The researchers found that that dosage level has significant negative impact on bones. Certainly if someone’s on a much higher dosage, that’s something that has to be weighed into the equation with the clinical decision-making at the end of the FRAX. Or if someone’s been on a very mild dose for longer period of time, although they might not fit into the yes answer, it is still something to be taken into account.
Do you need to normalize a T score if you are not Caucasian?
If you are not female and you’re not Caucasian, then you do need to normalize the data if you’re using the T-score. There is a link to a website, Dr. Susan Ott’s website at the University of Washington, that we will provide for you that you can use your T-score, convert that over, then bring it back into the calculator.
Is fracturing a good or bad thing before the FRAX calculator?
Before the FRAX calculator was available, people with relatively good bone mineral density scores were fracturing while people with poor bone mineral density scores were not fracturing. Researchers realized that there was more involved than just the density of the bone. The FRAX test for osteoporosis takes these additional variables into account when it computes your FRAX score.
