Free online calculator now available as version 3.3 in
40 models for 34 countries and in 16 languages

The WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®) is an important
new calculation tool, available free online at http://www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX/,
that is being used by a steadily increasing number of physicians
around the world to calculate a patient’s 10-year probability
of fracture based on scientifically validated risk factors. The
tool is country specific and can be used with or without the input
of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) values.

Launched on June 2nd, version 3.3 of the tool now includes models
for the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Tunisia, with two
additional languages (Czech and Korean). An updated FAQ section
provides considerable background and support information and the
addition of a counter for each model (plus total usage) as of June
2, 2011, will help give an overview of how widely and frequently
the tool is being used around the world.

The tool is now available for countries/territories in the
following regions:

• Asia – China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore (3
models), Philippines, South Korea

• Europe – Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy, Malta,
Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK

• Middle East and Africa – Jordan, Lebanon,
Tunisia

• North America – Canada, US (4 models)

• Latin America – Argentina, Colombia, Mexico

• Oceania – Australia, New Zealand

Users may select their language of choice when utilizing the tool.
Version 3.3 is available in the following 16 languages: English,
Arabic, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Czech, Danish,
Finnish, French, German, Korean, Japanese, Polish, Russian,
Spanish, Swedish, Turkish. In addition, an additional DXA scanning
model (DMS/Medilink) has been added to the calculator.

One of the founders of FRAX®, Dr Eugene McCloskey, Professor in
Adult Bone Disease and Honorary Consultant at the Metabolic Bone
Centre, University of Sheffield UK, said, “Previously,
doctors tended to rely primarily on BMD values in making treatment
decisions. FRAX® represents a real advance in that it helps
clinicians make more informed treatment decisions based on multiple
scientifically validated risk factors. The tool is continually
being updated and improved. We are pleased that with version 3.3,
patients in four additional countries are now able to benefit from
improved fracture risk assessment.”

Widely accessible in various clinical settings

FRAX is also available on several types of densitometers and as an
application on the i-Phone and i-Pad obtainable through the IOF at
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/frax/id370146412?mt=8.
The FRAX pad, an A5 leaflet, allows patients to input risk
variables prior to medical consultation and is available from the
IOF website at
http://www.iofbonehealth.org/health-professionals/frax.html in
several languages. Where computer access is limited, paper charts
can be downloaded that give fracture probabilities for each index
country (www.shef.ac.uk/FRAX)
according to the number of clinical risk factors. Hand held
calculators are used in Japan and Poland.

The FRAX website is designed and maintained by Richlyn Systems Ltd
(http://www.richlyn.co.uk)