The self-assessment tool provides a very simple method of identifying patients at risk for osteoporosis. Initially developed in a sample of East Asian women, the usefulness of the self-assessment tool has also been demonstrated in Caucasian women.
Osteoporosis Risk Calculator
This interactive electronic version of the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool (OST) for Caucasian Women can be used in-office to assess postmenopausal Caucasian patients' risk for osteoporosis. Enter the correct age and weight and click on the "Calculate" button. The tool then categorizes the patient's risk as low, medium, or high.
Osteoporosis Self-assessment Tool (OST) - for Caucasians
A presentation by Jean-Yves Reginster, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health; Director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
OST is a simple tool based on age and weight that helps to identify which patients are at increased risk of osteoporosis and should have further evaluation and BMD measurements. This presentation describes the latest data showing that OST can identify the high-, medium-, and low-risk groups among Caucasian women. It also covers the development of the original tool (OSTA) for Asians, and illustrates that both OST (for Caucasians) and OSTA (for Asians) perform consistently in different populations in various countries.
The OST risk tool for postmenopausal Caucasian women:
The Osteoporosis Self-assessment Tool (OST) is an adaptation of the OSTA tool for use in Caucasian women. Based only on age and weight, the OST performs well for identifying women who should have bone density measurements that have an increased risk of osteoporosis. This tool can also identify a low-risk group of women, most of whom may not currently need bone density measurements.
The results of using OST in samples of Caucasian women are described in the following publications:
Siris E, Geusens P, Pols H et al.
Performance of self-assessment risk indices for encouraging appropriate use of bone density measurements among postmenopausal women. (abstract) J Bone Miner Res 2001;16(Suppl 1):S341.
Hochberg MC, Thompson DE, Ross PD.
Testing and validation of simple clinical risk indices to identify postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. (abstract) J Bone Miner Res 2001;16(Suppl 1):S277.
The OSTA/FOSTA risk tool for postmenopausal Asian women:
buiIf the patient's age is greater than her weight in kilograms, her risk is increased, and further risk evaluation by measuring bone density is warranted. Further evaluation is recommended regardless of the OSTA/FOSTA findings if a patient has other risk factors, such as corticosteroid use or a previous nonviolent fracture.
This risk tool for Asian women is based on research conducted in 9 East Asian countries, and is supported by additional studies involving thousands of participants. Details may be found in the following publications:
Koh LKH, Ben Sedrine W, Torralba T et al, on behalf of the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Tool for Asians (OSTA) Research Group. A simple tool to identify Asian women at increased risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int 2001;12:699-705.
