The FRAX online calculator has passed the threshold of 20 million uses worldwide. A new study shows that it can better predict a fracture linked to osteoporosis.
Accessible, free, and easy. The online calculator FRAX (Fracture Risk Assessment Tool), developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and put online in 2008, calculates the individual risk of fracture over a period of ten years. A valuable tool in screening for complications from osteoporosis, this skeletal disease that weakens bones and increases the risk of fractures, especially in women after menopause and during certain illnesses. It is available in 63 countries and is translated into 34 languages.
20 million calculations in six years
Prof. Eugene McCloskey, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom: “While practitioners primarily relied on the calculation of bone densitometry (BMD, also called T-score), the FRAX tool now allows them to make their diagnosis based on several risk factors, adapted to their country. It should also be noted that the 63 countries which have access to the tool cover more than 80% of the world population. Since June 2011, the FRAX tool has reached 20 million online calculations.
The FRAX tool, more effective on women
The two tools are complementary. With BMD, practitioners calculate the difference between the patient’s bone density and the theoretically normal bone density of an adult of the same sex. The lower the score obtained, the higher the risk of fracture. From a certain threshold, the doctor can suggest a treatment. But the result is not precise enough.
A recent study, carried out in Kuwait and published in the journal “Osteoporosis International” in August, points out that BMD alone is not precise enough to detect older women at high risk of fracture. This can be problematic since women after menopause are particularly affected by osteoporosis.
L’FRAX tool, him, allows to target those which precisely, are most exposed to the disease. It is also a way of avoiding the abuse of treatment.
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