Prevalence of osteoporosis in older male veterans receiving hip-containing computed tomography scans: opportunistic use of biomechanical computed tomography analysis (BCT)

Abstract

SummaryOsteoporosis care in men is suboptimal due to low rates of testing and treatment. Applying biomechanical computed tomography (BCT) analysis to existing CT scans, we found a high proportion of men with osteoporosis have never been diagnosed or treated. BCT may improve identification of patients at high risk of fracture.PurposeOsteoporosis care in men is suboptimal due to low rates of DXA testing and treatment. Biomechanical computed tomography analysis (BCT) can be applied “opportunistically” to prior hip-containing CT scans to measure femoral bone strength and hip BMD.MethodsIn this retrospective, cross-sectional study, we used BCT in male veterans with existing CT scans to investigate the prevalence of osteoporosis, defined by hip BMD (T-score ≤ − 2.5) or fragile bone strength (≤ 3500 N). 577 men, age ≥ 65 with abdominal/pelvic CTs performed in 2017–2019, were randomly selected for BCT analysis. Clinical data were collected via electronic health records and used with the femoral neck BMD T-score from BCT to estimate 10-year hip fracture risks by FRAX.ResultsPrevalence of osteoporosis by BCT increased with age (13.5% age 65–74; 18.2% age 75–84; 34.3% age ≥ 85), with an estimated overall prevalence of 18.3% for men age ≥ 65. In those with osteoporosis (n = 108/577), only 38.0% (41/108) had a prior DXA and 18.6% (7/108) had received osteoporosis pharmacotherapy. Elevated hip fracture risk by FRAX (≥ 3%) did not fully capture those with fragile bone strength. In a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for age, BMI, race, and CT location, end stage renal disease (odds ratio 7.4; 95% confidence interval 2.3–23.9), COPD (2.2; 1.2–4.0), and high-dose inhaled corticosteroid use (3.7; 1.2–11.8) were associated with increased odds of having osteoporosis by BCT.ConclusionOpportunistic BCT in male veterans provides an additional avenue to identify patients who are at high risk of fractures.