𦴠Osteoporosis Risk Score
A 2-minute screening score for bone fracture risk.
For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.
Osteoporosis has no symptoms until a bone breaks, which is why a quick risk screen matters. This calculator turns the risk factors named by the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation into a simple score: age, sex, body weight, prior fragility fracture, smoking, long-term steroid use, and parental hip fracture. A high score does not diagnose osteoporosis, since only a DEXA bone density scan does that, but it tells you whether that scan is worth asking about.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter your age, sex, and weight, then check the risk factors that apply. The score weights the factors bone specialists consider most predictive of a fragility fracture.
Enter age, sex, and weight. Low body weight is one of the strongest simple predictors of low bone density, so the score gives a point below 60 kg.
Check each risk factor honestly. A prior fracture from a minor fall counts double because nothing predicts the next fracture like the last one.
Read the band. Moderate or high means a bone density (DEXA) scan is worth discussing with your clinician, especially past age 65.
How the Math Works
Each factor gets points scaled to its predictive weight. Age 65 or older scores 2 and age 55 to 64 scores 1, because fracture risk roughly doubles each decade after 50. Being female adds 1, reflecting the faster bone loss after menopause. Weight under 60 kg adds 1, since low body weight tracks closely with low bone mineral density. A prior fragility fracture adds 2, the single strongest predictor of a future fracture. Current smoking, steroid tablets for three months or more, and a parent who broke a hip each add 1. Totals run 0 to 9: 0 to 2 is low, 3 to 5 is moderate, and 6 or more is high.
Worked Example
Take a 68-year-old woman weighing 58 kg who broke her wrist in a minor fall and smokes. She scores 2 for age, 1 for sex, 1 for low weight, 2 for the prior fracture, and 1 for smoking, for a total of 7 points, which the calculator places in the High band. That combination, a previous fracture plus low weight past 65, is exactly the profile bone specialists want screened with a DEXA scan.
Reading Your Result
A low score means your listed risk factors are few, but it does not guarantee strong bones, so keep up weight-bearing exercise, calcium, and vitamin D. A moderate score is the nudge to mention bone health at your next checkup and ask whether a DEXA scan is due; US guidance generally starts routine screening at 65 for women and 70 for men, earlier with risk factors. A high score deserves a prompt conversation, because a prior fracture plus several risk factors is the classic setup for the next one, and effective treatments exist once low bone density is confirmed.
| Score | Band | Suggested next step |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Low | Maintain exercise, calcium, vitamin D |
| 3 to 5 | Moderate | Discuss DEXA timing at next checkup |
| 6 to 9 | High | Ask promptly about bone density testing |
Limitations
This is a screening aid, not a diagnosis and not a substitute for FRAX, the WHO fracture risk tool that clinicians use with bone density data. It omits factors like rheumatoid arthritis, heavy alcohol use, and early menopause, and it treats every checked factor equally within its point value. Only a DEXA scan measures bone density, and only a clinician can weigh your full history.
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For informational purposes only, not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a quiz really tell me if I have osteoporosis?
No, and any tool that claims to is misleading. Osteoporosis is diagnosed by measuring bone mineral density with a DEXA scan. What a risk score can do is tell you whether your profile looks like the people who most often turn out to have it, so you know whether to ask for the scan. Think of it as a triage step, not a diagnosis.
Why does weight matter so much?
Low body weight is one of the most consistent predictors of low bone density in studies. Less mechanical loading on the skeleton and often lower estrogen production both play a role. That is also why rapid, large weight loss in older adults worries bone specialists: the skeleton loses some of its loading stimulus.
I broke a bone years ago in a sports accident. Does that count?
Only fragility fractures count here: breaks from a fall from standing height or less, after age 50. A fracture from a car crash or a hard sports impact at 30 says little about bone strength. A wrist, hip, or spine fracture from tripping on a rug at 65 says a great deal.
Why do steroids raise the risk?
Glucocorticoids such as prednisone suppress bone formation and increase bone breakdown, and the effect starts within months. People taking the equivalent of 5 mg of prednisone daily for three months or longer are advised to have their bone health assessed. If you are on long-term steroids, this is worth raising even at a younger age.
Does this apply to men?
Yes. Men account for a large share of hip fractures and tend to have worse outcomes after them, partly because osteoporosis in men is under-recognized and under-treated. The score includes sex as one factor among several, and a 72-year-old man with a prior fracture and low weight can easily land in the high band.
What is a DEXA scan like?
It is a quick, painless, low-radiation X-ray, usually of the hip and spine, that takes about ten minutes. You lie on a table while a scanner arm passes over you. Results come as T-scores: above minus 1 is normal, minus 1 to minus 2.5 is low bone mass, and minus 2.5 or below is osteoporosis.
Can I lower my score?
You cannot change age, sex, or family history, but smoking cessation, limiting alcohol, regular weight-bearing and resistance exercise, and adequate calcium and vitamin D all protect bone. If medication is needed, several effective options exist once a scan confirms the diagnosis. The score is a starting point for action, not a fixed fate.
How is this different from FRAX?
FRAX is the World Health Organization fracture risk tool that clinicians use; it estimates your 10-year probability of hip and major fractures using more factors and optionally your bone density result. This score is a simpler front door: it tells you whether you are the kind of person who should be evaluated with tools like FRAX and DEXA.
Should I get scanned before 65?
Guidelines generally start routine screening at 65 for women and 70 for men, but earlier screening is recommended with risk factors such as a prior fragility fracture, long-term steroid use, or very low weight. A moderate or high score on this tool is a reasonable reason to ask, whatever your age.
Do calcium supplements alone prevent fractures?
Not reliably. Trials show the clearest benefit from combined calcium and vitamin D in people who are deficient, alongside exercise and fall prevention. Supplements without the rest of the package disappoint. Food sources of calcium plus sensible sun exposure or vitamin D, with supplements only to fill a measured gap, is the approach most specialists favor.