Prevalence and risk factors of asymptomatic vertebral fractures in individuals 50 years or older

Abstract

Background: Vertebral fracture is considered as a potential complication of osteoporosis. The present study aimed to determine (1): the prevalence of asymptomatic vertebral fracture in Vietnamese adults aged 50 years and older; (2): risk factors of asymptomatic vertebral fracture. Materials and Methods: 280 adults aged 50 years and older volunteered to participate in the study. Descriptive cross-sectional study of the Vietnam Osteoporosis Study (VOS) project. Results and Conclusions: the prevalance of asymptomatic vertebral fractures in adults aged 50 years and older in Vietnam is 14.6%. Advanced age, female and low bone mineral density of femoral neck are associated with asymptomatic vertebral fractures. Key words: vertebral fracture, osteoporosis, bone mineral density (BMD), risk factors