Fracture Risk Assessment Tool-Based Screening for Osteoporosis in Older Adults in Resource-Limited Settings.

PURPOSE

Osteoporosis is a pressing public health concern among older adults, contributing to substantial mortality and morbidity rates. Low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) often grapple with limited access to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the gold standard for early osteoporosis detection. This study aims to assess the performance of the FRAX® score as a population-wide screening tool for predicting osteoporosis risk, rather than fracture, in individuals aged 50 and above within an LMIC context.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study (n=864) assessed the performance of the FRAX® score for predicting osteoporosis risk using comparative c-statistics from Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated, with p-values <0.05 indicating statistically significant.

RESULTS

The 10-year FRAX® probability for hip fracture, calculated without bone mass density (BMD), exhibited significantly superior performance compared to the 10-year FRAX® probability for major fracture in predicting osteoporosis risk (AUROC: 0.71 versus 0.67, p<0.001). Within 2 to 10 years of follow-up, the 10-year FRAX® probability for hip fracture showed both greater predictive performance and net benefit in the decision curve compared to the FRAX® 10-year probability for major fracture. A newly established cutoff of 1.9 % yielded a negative predictive value of 92.9 % (95 %CI: 90.4-94.8 %) for the 10-year FRAX® probability for hip fracture.

CONCLUSION

The 10-year FRAX® probability for hip fracture estimated without BMD emerges as an effective 10-year screening tool for identifying osteoporosis risk in aged 50 and older, especially when confronted with limited access to DXA scans in LMICs.

MINI ABSTRACT

The Fracture Risk Assessment Tool score performance as an osteoporosis screening tool was assessed in areas with limited dual-energy X-ray access. The hip fracture probability showed better performance than major fracture probability within 2 to 10 years. The tool emerges as effective for screening osteoporosis risk in individuals over 50.