WHO fracture risk assesement tool.... - Osteoporosis Message Board

phylwill1152 · 12-07-2008, 06:04 AM

I came across this article from IOF about a new way of determining risk factors. This is a portion of the article...if you go to the site you can find the tab for calculating your risk. I read about this in the January issue of prevention magazine and looked it up. take care....phyllis

***this is from a post in a thread from the other day. I didn't know how many of you saw it and wanted to share it. I did the calculations and found that by thier measure i am at low risk for fractures even though the last DEXA i had reported high risk. I guess its all in how things are interpreted and what standards are used.

FRAX® - WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool

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.

The practical web-based tool, named FRAX® , predicts the ten-year risk of osteoporosis fracture in men and women. It will be 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.

montesflus · 12-07-2008, 02:35 PM

Hi Phyllis,

Thanks for the post. I believe I read about this somewhere before (probably on these boards)

I have a ''thing'' about DEXA machines. They're too much of a ''one size fits all'' kind of scan. What may be considered ''normal'' BMD for one person of a certain height, race, weight, gender, age etc. may ''not'' be considered normal for another person with differing statistics. But the DEXA machine doesn't recognize these differences!

As somebody else mentioned in a prior post (Starfish, I think it was), if these differences were to be taken into consideration, the pharmaceutical companies would lose out on a hefty portion of their profits - and we can't have that happening, now can we

apart from which, apparently these pharmaceutical companies have a major interest in the production of these DEXA machines, which work in their favor!

The FRAX indicator graph you mentioned does take the differential factors into consideration ''somewhat''. It's certainly not an accurate gage. Family history is an important factor, too. I DO have osteo in my family, but no family history of fractures, so they don't necessarily go together. The only time I ever had a fracture was when I was at my maximum bone density and still having monthly periods. I fell in a pot hole and got a hairline fracture of my wrist. It healed normally. I am now 5 years post menopause, with a diagnosis of osteo, -2.5 hip, -2.2 spine, slipped and fallen quite a few times, and haven't fractured anything

go figure! I had my first (and last) DEXA scan about 2 years ago. Am not planning on having any more done!

Take care and have a wonderful holiday season

monte

starfish81 · 12-07-2008, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montesflus

I had my first (and last) DEXA scan about 2 years ago. Am not planning on having any more done!
monte

You and me both! Although I was dumb enough to have 5 of the **** things before I became tired of living in fear.

Great to hear from you again montesflus, and happy holidays to you too!

DesertBloom · 12-08-2008, 08:38 PM

Hi Phyllis and All: The World Health Org/NOF is recommending this algorithm into the dxa's. So I was just wondering if any of you--who may have had a recent dxa--did they have you answer these questions to come up with your 10 year frax risk? When this first came out, I used it and was pleasantly surprised that my risk was pretty low, so I don't mind them adding this to the current testing, since it takes heredity and lifestyle into consideration which the dxa doesn't.

Try not to let this or any other test worry or rule your life. Like anything else, there are many other factors that cause a frax that a dxa will never be able to tell you.

Below is a thread on this tool from over the last year, do you think any of us have changed our minds on this, now looking back with 20/20 hindsight?

[url]http://www.healthboards.com/boards/search.php?searchid=8363997[/url]

phylwill1152 · 12-09-2008, 06:57 AM

Hi DB..how ya been? I had a DEXA in June 2007 and am due for another this coming year. I don't remember them asking those questions for a 10 year prediction, but i think they were on the questionnaire i filled out. I wasn't aware of the FRAX tool till i read about in prevention, but will ask when i have the next one. I go to our small hospital for the DEXA and while its a good small town hospital its doesn't have all the new features that bigger ones have.

I got over the "i'll break" thinking a long time ago and other than taking strontium, supplements and getting plenty of exercise (which i've done for many moons) i really don't let the osteo play a big part in my life

H monte...i like the way you think and also believe that the pharma companies are much more in control of our heath than they'd like us to think. One size fits all doesn't work in many situations...but its easier to fit the average than customize for each individual. Just think how easy everything would be if we were all cookie cutter perfect...but what a boring world we'd live in.

I'd like to wish both of you a happy holiday season full of happiness, joy and all the good things that come with it. take care..phyllis