Abstract
Hip fracture data were retrieved from the Iraqi government's Ministry of Health and the Kurdistan region's Ministry of Health for the years 2022-2023 and used to create a FRAX® model to facilitate fracture risk assessment. Hip fracture rates and probabilities were compared with estimates from neighboring countries. INTRODUCTION: There are no published data on the epidemiology of osteoporotic fractures in Iraq. This paper describes the epidemiology of femoral fractures in Iraq and the development of the corresponding country-specific FRAX® tool for the prediction of fractures. METHODS: Femoral fracture data (ICD-10 S72) were retrieved from the Iraqi government's Ministry of Health and the Kurdistan region's Ministry of Health for the years 2022-2023 in Iraq. The age- and sex-specific incidence of hip fracture in Iraqi residents and national mortality rates were used to create a FRAX® model. Fracture probabilities were compared with those from neighboring countries having existing FRAX models. RESULTS: Fracture rates were low and comparable to those in neighboring countries, with hip fracture rates closest to estimates from Saudi Arabia at older ages. Ten-year fracture probabilities were lower in males than in females and were comparable to those in neighboring countries. CONCLUSION: The FRAX model should enhance the accuracy of determining fracture probability among the Iraqi population and help guide treatment decisions.