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The 2024 UK clinical guideline for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis

The 2024 UK clinical guideline for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis
The 2024 UK clinical guideline for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis

Summary: the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) has updated the revised UK guideline for the assessment and management of osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures in postmenopausal women, and men age 50 years and older. This guideline is relevant for all healthcare professionals involved in osteoporosis management. 

Introduction: the UK National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) first produced a guideline on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in 2008, with updates in 2013, 2017 and 2021. This paper presents a minor update of the 2021 guideline, the scope of which is to review the assessment and management of osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures in postmenopausal women and men aged 50 years and older.

Methods: where available, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials have been used to provide the evidence base. Conclusions and recommendations have been systematically graded according to the strength of the available evidence. 

Results: review of the evidence and recommendations are provided for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, fracture-risk assessment and intervention thresholds, management of vertebral fractures, non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments, including duration and monitoring of anti-resorptive therapy, glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, as well as models of care for fracture prevention. Recommendations are made for training, service leads and commissioners of healthcare, and for review criteria for audit and quality improvement. Specific 2024 updates include guidance on fracture risk assessment by ethnicity, Parkinson’s disease, Down’s syndrome and lower-limb amputation; furthermore, the definition of very high fracture risk has been clarified. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now recommended as a first-line treatment option in younger postmenopausal women with high fracture risk and low baseline risk for adverse events; recommendations regarding abaloparatide are included; additional training resources have been added. 

Conclusion: the guideline provides a comprehensive overview of the assessment and management of osteoporosis for all healthcare professionals involved in its management. This position paper has been endorsed by the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO).

Aged, Bone Density Conservation Agents/therapeutic use, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Osteoporosis/prevention & control, Osteoporotic Fractures/prevention & control, Practice Guidelines as Topic, Risk Assessment, United Kingdom, NOGG, Guideline, Fracture, Osteoporosis
1862-3522
Gregson, Celia L.
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Armstrong, David J.
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Avgerinou, Christina
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Bowden, Jean
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Cooper, Cyrus
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Douglas, Lucy
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Edwards, John
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Gittoes, Neil J.L.
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Harvey, Nicholas C.
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Kanis, John A.
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Leyland, Sarah
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Low, Rebecca
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McCloskey, Eugene
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Moss, Katie
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Parker, Jane
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Paskins, Zoe
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Poole, Kenneth
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Reid, David M.
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Stone, Mike
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Tomson, Julia
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Vine, Nic
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Compston, Juliet
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National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG)
Gregson, Celia L.
06bb8003-4092-4b06-8501-f7abd1a04fba
Armstrong, David J.
1436a3cd-339c-4634-9d0c-7579f6c7f176
Avgerinou, Christina
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Bowden, Jean
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Cooper, Cyrus
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Douglas, Lucy
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Edwards, John
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Gittoes, Neil J.L.
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Harvey, Nicholas C.
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Kanis, John A.
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Leyland, Sarah
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Low, Rebecca
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McCloskey, Eugene
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Moss, Katie
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Parker, Jane
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Paskins, Zoe
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Poole, Kenneth
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Reid, David M.
2e17f1fd-d47a-4ba2-88db-1b25731224c8
Stone, Mike
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Tomson, Julia
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Vine, Nic
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Compston, Juliet
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Gregson, Celia L., Armstrong, David J., Avgerinou, Christina, Bowden, Jean, Cooper, Cyrus, Douglas, Lucy, Edwards, John, Gittoes, Neil J.L., Harvey, Nicholas C., Kanis, John A., Leyland, Sarah, Low, Rebecca, McCloskey, Eugene, Moss, Katie, Parker, Jane, Paskins, Zoe, Poole, Kenneth, Reid, David M., Stone, Mike, Tomson, Julia, Vine, Nic and Compston, Juliet , National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) (2025) The 2024 UK clinical guideline for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Archives of Osteoporosis, 20 (1), [119]. (doi:10.1007/s11657-025-01588-3).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Summary: the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) has updated the revised UK guideline for the assessment and management of osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures in postmenopausal women, and men age 50 years and older. This guideline is relevant for all healthcare professionals involved in osteoporosis management. 

Introduction: the UK National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG) first produced a guideline on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in 2008, with updates in 2013, 2017 and 2021. This paper presents a minor update of the 2021 guideline, the scope of which is to review the assessment and management of osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures in postmenopausal women and men aged 50 years and older.

Methods: where available, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials have been used to provide the evidence base. Conclusions and recommendations have been systematically graded according to the strength of the available evidence. 

Results: review of the evidence and recommendations are provided for the diagnosis of osteoporosis, fracture-risk assessment and intervention thresholds, management of vertebral fractures, non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments, including duration and monitoring of anti-resorptive therapy, glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, as well as models of care for fracture prevention. Recommendations are made for training, service leads and commissioners of healthcare, and for review criteria for audit and quality improvement. Specific 2024 updates include guidance on fracture risk assessment by ethnicity, Parkinson’s disease, Down’s syndrome and lower-limb amputation; furthermore, the definition of very high fracture risk has been clarified. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now recommended as a first-line treatment option in younger postmenopausal women with high fracture risk and low baseline risk for adverse events; recommendations regarding abaloparatide are included; additional training resources have been added. 

Conclusion: the guideline provides a comprehensive overview of the assessment and management of osteoporosis for all healthcare professionals involved in its management. This position paper has been endorsed by the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO).

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s11657-025-01588-3 - Version of Record
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 7 July 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 8 September 2025
Published date: 8 September 2025
Keywords: Aged, Bone Density Conservation Agents/therapeutic use, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Osteoporosis/prevention & control, Osteoporotic Fractures/prevention & control, Practice Guidelines as Topic, Risk Assessment, United Kingdom, NOGG, Guideline, Fracture, Osteoporosis

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 505953
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/505953
ISSN: 1862-3522
PURE UUID: f42cc943-87b3-47f3-9032-3d7eaca08a3f
ORCID for Cyrus Cooper: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-0709
ORCID for Nicholas C. Harvey: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8194-2512

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 24 Oct 2025 16:34
Last modified: 25 Oct 2025 01:41

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Contributors

Author: Celia L. Gregson
Author: David J. Armstrong
Author: Christina Avgerinou
Author: Jean Bowden
Author: Cyrus Cooper ORCID iD
Author: Lucy Douglas
Author: John Edwards
Author: Neil J.L. Gittoes
Author: John A. Kanis
Author: Sarah Leyland
Author: Rebecca Low
Author: Eugene McCloskey
Author: Katie Moss
Author: Jane Parker
Author: Zoe Paskins
Author: Kenneth Poole
Author: David M. Reid
Author: Mike Stone
Author: Julia Tomson
Author: Nic Vine
Author: Juliet Compston
Corporate Author: National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG)

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