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Osteoporosis risk checker Spain
Use Global Health’s checklist of age, sex and risk factors to prepare a conversation about bone health with a clinician.
- Global Health checklist informed by published risk factors
- Shows major and contributing risk factors separately
- Runs in your browser — nothing is sent or stored
Your risk factors
years
cm
kg
A break from a fall from standing height or less — wrist, hip, spine or arm.
Such as an overactive thyroid, malabsorption, or long-term liver or kidney disease.
0 / 10
No specific risk factors flagged
Nothing you entered matches the published risk factors guidelines use for osteoporosis case-finding. That is reassuring, but it is not a guarantee — mention any new fracture or fall to a doctor regardless.
- Major factors flagged
- 0
- Contributing factors flagged
- 0
This checklist does not calculate fracture probability or diagnose osteoporosis. A clinician can use a validated risk tool with or without a DXA scan, depending on the tool and clinical situation.
01
Risk factors for a fragility fracture
Osteoporosis itself has no symptoms — the first sign is often a fracture from a fall that would not normally break a bone. Guidelines therefore work backwards from risk factors, deciding who is worth assessing before a fracture happens rather than after.
The ten factors below inform this Global Health checklist. Two major flags and eight contributing flags are counted without weights. Their grouping and output tiers are implementation choices, not a validated NICE score.
Fragility fracture after 50
- Why it matters
- A broken wrist, hip, spine or arm from a low fall is the single strongest predictor of another one.
- Major or contributing
- Major
Long-term oral steroids (3+ months)
- Why it matters
- Glucocorticoids thin bone directly, independently of any other factor on this list.
- Major or contributing
- Major
A parent broke a hip
- Why it matters
- Points to inherited bone strength, separate from your own lifestyle.
- Major or contributing
- Contributing
Current smoker
- Why it matters
- Lowers bone density and slows healing if a fracture does happen.
- Major or contributing
- Contributing
3+ alcohol units a day
- Why it matters
- Reduces bone formation and raises the risk of a fall in the first place.
- Major or contributing
- Contributing
Rheumatoid arthritis
- Why it matters
- The condition and often its treatment both affect bone turnover.
- Major or contributing
- Contributing
A secondary cause of bone loss
- Why it matters
- Conditions such as an overactive thyroid or long-term liver or kidney disease reduce bone density on their own.
- Major or contributing
- Contributing
2+ falls in the past year
- Why it matters
- Most fragility fractures happen after a fall from standing height, not on their own.
- Major or contributing
- Contributing
Menopause before 45
- Why it matters
- Oestrogen protects bone, so losing it earlier gives bone loss a longer run.
- Major or contributing
- Contributing
Low body weight (BMI under 18.5)
- Why it matters
- Less body mass generally means less bone mass, and less cushioning if a fall happens.
- Major or contributing
- Contributing
02
How Global Health assigns the checklist tier
The rules below describe this implementation. They do not reproduce the full NICE risk-assessment pathway or a validated prediction model.
- Women ≥65 or men ≥75 receive the assessment tier even with no flags.
- Either major flag (prior fragility fracture or oral steroids for ≥3 months) also gives the assessment tier without an age gate.
- Below those age thresholds, any one of the eight contributing flags gives the discussion tier at any age; otherwise the no-flags tier is shown.
- Counts report flags, not weighted points or fracture probability. These tiers are Global Health’s own checklist rules.
03
What this checker cannot tell you
A risk-factor checklist is a sorting tool, not a measurement. It tells you whether it is worth asking about a scan — it cannot tell you what that scan would show.
- It is not a diagnosis. Osteoporosis is diagnosed from a DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) bone density scan, not from a questionnaire.
- Validated models such as FRAX or QFracture estimate fracture probability; their inputs and use of bone density differ. A DXA scan is not required for every risk estimate.
- It is not FRAX and does not use FRAX's coefficients, which are proprietary to the University of Sheffield.
- A "no specific risk factors flagged" result is reassuring, not a guarantee — mention any new fracture or fall to a doctor regardless of what this tool says.
- It says nothing about treatment. Medication is a decision for a clinician, made after a diagnosis, not from a risk checklist.
04
Getting assessed
- Start with a doctor. They will weigh up your risk factors and decide whether a DXA scan referral makes sense.
- Bring the factors this tool flagged for you — which ones, not just the tier — to make the conversation faster.
- If you have already had a fragility fracture, ask about assessment regardless of your age or this tool's tier.
- Calcium, vitamin D, weight-bearing exercise and stopping smoking all support bone health while you wait for any assessment.
- Get medical care promptly for a new fracture from a low-energy fall, whatever this tool says — it needs treating in its own right.
Global Health methodology and research references
Developed by Global Health using the methods and assumptions explained below. Established formulas and scales are credited to their original authors. This is a custom checklist, not FRAX or a validated fracture-probability formula. Women ≥65, men ≥75, a prior fragility fracture or oral steroids for at least 3 months trigger ‘assess now’; any of eight other factors triggers ‘discuss next’; otherwise ‘no flags’. These tiers are implementation choices informed by older CG146, not a validated prediction model. The eight contributing flags are parental hip fracture, smoking, ≥3 alcohol units/day, rheumatoid arthritis, a secondary cause of bone loss, ≥2 falls/year, early menopause (female input only) and BMI <18.5 after rounding to one decimal. The fracture answer is used as entered: although its label says after age 50, the code has no age check for that flag.
Clinically reviewed by Dra. María Fernanda Ocampo Mora· CGCOM 291409735Last reviewed November 3, 2026
NICE NG259 (2026) replaces CG146. Its age, menopause, alcohol and steroid pathways differ from this custom checklist. NG259 supports clinical context, not validation of these tiers.
Where to go from here
A flagged risk factor is a reason to ask about a bone density scan, not a diagnosis. These are the consultations that can take it further.
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Osteoporosis risk checker: FAQs
Is this the same as FRAX?
No. This is Global Health’s custom checklist informed by published risk factors. It does not implement FRAX, produce a fracture probability or reproduce the full NICE pathway.
What is a DXA scan?
A dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan — a low-dose X-ray that measures bone density, usually at the hip and spine. It is the test an assessment actually relies on; nothing on this page replaces it.
Does having risk factors mean I have osteoporosis?
No. A flag is a topic to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis or a guarantee that a guideline recommends a scan. Osteoporosis can also occur without these flags.
What if my result is 'no specific risk factors flagged' but I'm still concerned?
This checklist does not cover every relevant clinical factor. Discuss concerns with a clinician even if no factors are flagged.
Who actually diagnoses osteoporosis?
A doctor, from a DXA bone density scan — usually a T-score of -2.5 or below at the hip or spine. A risk-factor questionnaire like this one can only suggest who should have that scan; it cannot diagnose anything itself.
Does this checker store my answers?
No. The scoring runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you select is sent to our servers or saved.
Does the Spanish health system offer DXA bone density scans?
Yes. DXA scanning is available through the public health system on referral, and privately without one in most clinics. This Global Health checklist prepares a risk-factor discussion; a clinician decides which assessment or scan is appropriate.
Where can I get assessed for osteoporosis in Spain?
Start with a medical appointment. The doctor will go through your risk factors and, where the guideline threshold is met, refer you for a DXA scan through the public system or arrange a private one.
Want to talk about your bone health?
Book a video consultation with a registered doctor, go through your risk factors, and find out whether a referral for a DXA scan makes sense.