No abstract

This paper reviews briefly the development and clinical use of FRAX in the development of assessment guidelines for osteoporosis.Fractures are the clinical consequence of osteoporosis and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Several treatments are available that have been shown to decrease the risk of fracture, but problems arise in identifying individuals at high fracture risk so that treatments can be effectively targeted. Case finding can be enhanced by the consideration of clinical risk factors that provide information on fracture risk over and above that provided by bone mineral density measurements. The FRAX tool integrates information on fracture risk from clinical risk factors with or without the use of BMD and can be used to improve the targeting of individuals at high fracture risk.

The study provides a method of developing management algorithms for osteoporosis from the estimation of fracture probabilities, rather than those based on BMD alone or BMD with single or multiple CRFs.

No abstract

Osteoporosis, literally "porous bone", is a disease characterized by weak bone. It is a major public health problem, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide, predominantly postmenopausal women. The main clinical consequence of the disease is bone fractures. It is estimated that one in three women and one in five men over the age of fifty worldwide will sustain an osteoporotic fracture. Hip and spine fractures are the two most serious fracture types, associated with substantial pain and suffering, disability, and even death. As a result, osteoporosis imposes a significant burden on both the individual and society. During the past two decades, a range of medications has become available for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis. The primary aim of pharmacological therapy is to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures.The objective of this report is to review and describe the current burden of osteoporosis and highlight recent advances and ongoing challenges for treatment and prevention of the disease. The report encompasses both epidemiological and health economic aspects of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures with a primary geographic focus on France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Projections of the future prevalence of osteoporosis and fracture incidence, the total societal burden of the disease, and the consequences of different intervention strategies receive special attention. The report may serve as a basis for the formulation of healthcare policy concerning osteoporosis in general and the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in