Plain-English explanations of the technical terms and legislation used in this document.
- Anabolic treatment
- An osteoporosis medicine that builds new bone, usually started by a specialist for people at very high fracture risk.
- Androgen deprivation therapy
- Treatment that lowers sex hormone levels, mainly used for prostate cancer; it weakens bone.
- Aromatase inhibitor
- A breast cancer medicine that blocks oestrogen production and speeds up bone loss.
- Body mass index (BMI)
- A measure of weight relative to height.
- Bone mineral density (BMD)
- How much mineral is in the bone; lower density means weaker bone.
- British Menopause Society (BMS)
- The UK specialist society for health professionals working in menopause care.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- The independent regulator of health and social care services in England.
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The UK law, alongside the UK GDPR, governing how personal information is handled.
- Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
- A low-dose X-ray scan that measures bone density at the hip and spine.
- Duty of candour
- The legal duty to be open and honest with patients when something goes wrong with their care.
- Equality Act 2010
- The law protecting people from discrimination, including because of sex or gender reassignment.
- Failsafe
- A tracking system that makes sure no test result or referral is lost or left without action.
- Fragility fracture
- A broken bone caused by a minor fall or force that would not normally break a healthy bone.
- FRAX
- An online tool that estimates a person's chance of breaking a bone in the next 10 years.
- General Medical Council (GMC)
- The regulator of doctors in the UK.
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
- The regulator of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Great Britain.
- General practitioner (GP)
- The patient's family doctor.
- Glucocorticoid
- A steroid medicine such as prednisolone; long-term use weakens bone.
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
- The regulations setting the fundamental standards that registered care providers must meet.
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Medicine that replaces the hormones the ovaries stop making at menopause.
- International units (IU)
- A standard unit used to measure the dose of vitamins such as vitamin D; 400 IU equals 10 micrograms.
- Kyphosis
- An abnormal forward curve of the upper spine, sometimes caused by vertebral fractures.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
- The UK regulator of medicines and medical devices.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
- The body that publishes national clinical guidelines for England.
- National Osteoporosis Guideline Group (NOGG)
- The UK expert group that publishes the national osteoporosis guideline and fracture risk treatment thresholds.
- NICE NG23
- The NICE guideline Menopause: identification and management.
- NICE NG259
- The NICE guideline Osteoporosis: risk assessment (2026), which replaced the older guideline CG146.
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- The regulator of nurses and midwives in the UK.
- Osteoporosis
- A condition in which bones become thin and fragile and break more easily.
- Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)
- When the ovaries stop working normally before the age of 40.
- QFracture
- An alternative online tool that estimates the chance of a fracture over time.
- Records Management Code of Practice (2023)
- National guidance on how long health records are kept and how they are managed.
- Royal Osteoporosis Society
- The UK charity for bone health and osteoporosis, which publishes patient information and exercise guidance.
- Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- A written, step-by-step instruction for carrying out a task consistently and safely.
- T-score
- A DXA result comparing bone density with a healthy young adult; -2.5 or lower means osteoporosis.
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
- The UK's main data protection law.
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
- A blood clot in a vein, such as a deep vein thrombosis or a clot in the lung.
- Vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)
- A spine image, usually taken during a DXA scan, to look for fractures of the vertebrae.
- Vitamin D
- A vitamin needed to absorb calcium and keep bones healthy, made in the skin in sunlight and found in some foods.