Table 10.

Clinical risk factors used for the assessment of fracture probability

Risk factor
Age
Sex
Low body mass index
Previous fragility fracture, particularly of the hip, wrist and spine including morphometric vertebral fracture
Parental history of hip fracture
Glucocorticoid treatment (>5 mg prednisolone daily or equivalent for 3 months or more)
Current smoking
Alcohol intake 3 or more units daily
Secondary causes of osteoporosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Untreated hypogonadism in men and women, e.g. premature menopause, bilateral oophorectomy or orchidectomy, anorexia nervosa, chemotherapy for breast cancer, hypopituitarism
Inflammatory bowel disease, e.g. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It should be noted that the risk is in part dependent on the use of glucocorticoids, but an independent risk remains after adjustment for glucocorticoid exposure
Prolonged immobility, e.g. spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, muscular dystrophy, ankylosing spondylitis
Organ transplantation
Type I diabetes
Thyroid disorders, e.g. untreated hyperthyroidism, over-treated hypothyroidism
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease