Osteoporosis (Bone Disease) Risk Chart

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Osteoporosis Risk Chart calculates a person's risk for osteoporosis. It also predicts if the person requires a special X-ray test called 'bone densitometry or DEXA scan' to confirm the score index from the results of the chart.

Generally as we age, the risk of osteoporosis increases and this results in increased risk of fracture such as fracture of the hip bone or wrist bone. The good news is that osteoporosis is reversible by exposure to sunlight and taking Calcium and Vitamin D supplements.

We recommend that you take this test after the age of 40 years. Please answer all the questions. The test is almost 80% accurate in predicting osteoporosis.

Calculate your Osteoporosis Risk
Age *
Weight *
Ethnicity *
Are you taking any pills that contain estrogen (e.g. Birth control pills or HRT pills) *
Do you suffer from a condition called Rheumatoid Arthritis? *
Have you sustained any fracture of hip, wrist, spine or ribs after the age of 45 years due to minor fall (e.g. Slip in the toilet or on the road) *
(* Mandatory)

Osteoporosis Facts and Figures:

❖	Osteoporosis is a major public health concern worldwide and affects an estimated 200 million people.
❖	Osteoporosis has no symptoms but is responsible for over 80% of all fractures in people who are over the age of 50 years.
❖	Osteoporosis makes the bones more fragile and the fractures occur most commonly in the vertebral column, rib, hip and wrist.
❖	Fractures due to osteoporosis are more common than heart attack, stroke and breast cancer combined.
❖	Thirty seven per cent of men and 28% of women who sustain a hip fracture will die within a year.
❖	Both men and women start losing one percent of their bone mass after the age of 35.
❖	Hip fractures due to osteoporosis consume more hospital bed days than stroke, diabetes, or heart attack in some of the developed countries.
❖	Risk factors for osteoporosis include advancing age, being a woman, early menopause, low body weight and a history of fracture after 40 years of age.
❖	Regular exercise, quitting smoking, a diet sufficiently rich in calcium and Vitamin D and spending 15 to 20 minutes in the sun everyday can prevent osteoporosis.
❖	When women reach menopause bone loss can accelerate and cause osteoporosis because estrogen, which helps their bones to absorb calcium, begins to decline.

References

1. Melton LJ III, Chrischilles EA, Cooper C, Lane AW, Riggs BL. Perspective: how many women have osteoporosis? J Bone Miner Res 1992;7:1005-10.
2. Cummings SR, Black DM, Rubin SM. Lifetime risks of hip, colles’, or vertebral fracture and coronary heart disease among white postmenopausal women. Arch Intern Med 1989;149:2445-8.