FRAX Fracture Risk Score Explained
Calculate 10-year hip fracture and major osteoporotic fracture risk using the WHO FRAX assessment tool. The international standard for fracture risk assessment.
Work out your FRAX score
FRAX is a licensed algorithm and its equations aren't published, so any copy outside the official tool is a guess. Rather than show you made-up percentages, we point you to the real thing.
The official UK version is free and run by the University of Sheffield. After you calculate, it can plot your result against the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) thresholds.
Open the official FRAX tool (UK)What you'll need
- Age (40 to 90), sex, weight and height
- Previous fragility fracture as an adult
- Whether a parent fractured a hip
- Current smoking, and alcohol of 3 or more units a day
- Oral steroid use (such as prednisolone for 3 months or more)
- Rheumatoid arthritis, or a condition strongly linked to osteoporosis
- Femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) from a DXA scan, if you've had one. FRAX works without it.
About FRAX
What is FRAX?
FRAX (Fracture Risk Assessment Tool) is an algorithm developed at the University of Sheffield, originally as a WHO Collaborating Centre, that calculates the 10-year probability of a major osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture.
Major Osteoporotic Fractures Include:
- Hip fracture
- Clinical spine fracture
- Forearm fracture
- Humerus fracture
How UK treatment decisions use it
There isn't a single fixed percentage. The National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) uses intervention thresholds that rise with age, because the same 10-year risk means something different at 50 than at 80. The UK FRAX tool shows where your result sits against them: reassure, measure bone density, or consider treatment.
NICE (CG146) recommends using FRAX or QFracture to estimate fracture risk in people who meet the criteria for assessment, such as women aged 65 and over and men aged 75 and over.
References
- Kanis JA, Johnell O, Oden A, et al. (2008). FRAX and the assessment of fracture probability in men and women from the UK. Osteoporosis International, 19(4), 385-397.
- Gregson CL, Armstrong DJ, Bowden J, et al. (2022). UK clinical guideline for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Archives of Osteoporosis, 17, 58.
- NICE (2012, updated 2017). Osteoporosis: assessing the risk of fragility fracture (CG146).
- Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Sheffield. FRAX Fracture Risk Assessment Tool.
Disclaimer
This calculator is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
- Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition.
- Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information from this tool.
- Clinical decision-making should always incorporate the full clinical context, patient preferences, and local protocols.
- The creators of this tool accept no liability for decisions made based on its output.
If you are a patient: please discuss any results with your healthcare provider. This tool is designed for use by medical professionals and may not be appropriate for self-assessment.