Evaluation of risk factors for osteoporosis and application of the clinical FRAX tool in the elderly

Abstract

Osteoporosis is characterized by bone fragility and changes in its microarchitecture. Its main clinical outcome is a low impact fracture. One of the main tools for clinical assessment of the risk of osteoporotic fracture is FRAX. This work aims to evaluate the risk factors for osteoporosis and the indication for treatment in the elderly. A cross-sectional, descriptive study with a quantitative and qualitative approach was carried out, using a questionnaire, with 145 patients who were assisted in the outpatient sector of the Hospital de Dia DeCos, from November 2017 to April 2018. Osteoporosis prevailed in women, sedentary, and with an average age of 71 years old. The presence of fractures predominated in the age group from 70 to 79 years old, and no participant used specific treatment for osteoporosis. It is concluded that dietary guidelines are important as a preventive measure, and a FRAX tool can be used to estimate the probability of fracture since densitometry is not accessible to the entire population.