High Risk Of Future Fractures Research Articles

Patients not taking a previously prescribed bone active medication now prescribed medication through Ontario FLS.

We compared bone active medication prescription rates among patients presenting to an Ontario fracture liaison service (FLS) who reported not taking a previously prescribed bone active medication to those with no history of prescription. Eligible patients were those screened in 39 fracture clinics between July 1, 2017, and September 15, 2019, who were not taking bone active medication at the time of screening and classified as high risk for future fracture based on CAROC or FRAX. Sociodemographic and clinical risk factor variables were assessed at screening. Bone active medication prescription rate was assessed within 6months of screening and defined as having received a prescription for the medication from either a specialist or primary care provider. In cases where a specialist report was not available, patient self-reported data were collected. The chi-square test of independence was used to assess differences in prescription rates. Of 17,575 patients screened, eligible patients were 350 with a previous prescription and 2644 without a previous prescription. Compared with patients who reported no previous prescription, those who had a previous prescription were older, more likely to be female and to report a previous fracture, and less likely to smoke. There was no statistically significant difference between the medication prescription rate of patients with a previous prescription (73.7%) compared to patients with no previous prescription (70.7%) (p = 0.157). A large jurisdiction-wide FLS approach provided a secondary opportunity to patients who were not taking a previously prescribed bone active medication to initiate that medication.

Cost-effectiveness of romosozumab for the treatment of postmenopausal women at very high risk of fracture in Canada

SummaryThis study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of 1 year of romosozumab followed by alendronate versus oral bisphosphonates alone in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis at very high risk for fracture in Canada. Results showed that romosozumab sequenced to alendronate is a cost-effective treatment option, dominating both alendronate and risedronate alone.PurposeTo demonstrate the value of romosozumab sequenced to alendronate compared to alendronate or risedronate alone, for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with a history of osteoporotic fracture and who are at very high risk for future fracture in Canada.MethodsA Markov model followed a hypothetical cohort of postmenopausal osteoporotic women at very high risk for future fractures, to estimate the cost-effectiveness of romosozumab and alendronate compared to oral bisphosphonates alone. A total treatment period of 5 years was assumed. Quality-adjusted life years and costs were estimated for each comparator across health states defined by different types of fragility fractures.ResultsRomosozumab/alendronate was associated with a lifetime gain of 0.103 and 0.127 QALYs and a cost reduction of $343 and $3805, relative to alendronate and risedronate, respectively. These results were driven by a reduction of the number of fractures (2561 per 1000 patients, versus 2700 for alendronate and 2724 for risedronate over lifetime). Romosozumab/alendronate had the highest probability of being cost-effective, relative to alendronate and risedronate, at any willingness to pay threshold value.ConclusionRomosozumab/alendronate was associated with reduced costs and greater benefit relative to other comparators. Probabilistic, deterministic, and scenario analyses indicate that romosozumab/alendronate represents the best value for money; the uncertainty analyses are robust, and therefore romosozumab should be considered for reimbursement by public drug plans in Canada.

P142 Fracture risk in diabetes: to FRAX or not to FRAX?

Abstract Background/Aims Diabetes mellitus is associated with decreased bone strength as well as increased fracture risk. The risk of fragility fracture increases with an increase in the duration of diabetes and worsening of glycemic control. However, this increased fracture risk often goes unidentified. Identifying patients at risk of fracture is fundamental in helping to prevent fractures. WHO FRAX (fracture risk assessment) tool computing the 10-year probability of hip fracture or a major osteoporotic fracture helps ascertain fracture risk. In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), the diagnosis of osteoporosis by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and the FRAX are only partially useful in assessing fracture risk. Our aims were: 1. To identify the fracture risk in patients with diabetes and 2. To assess the impact of adding diabetes as a risk factor in the calculation of FRAX score. Methods One hundred patients above the age of 50 years with duration of diabetes above a year who attended the diabetes clinic from December 2020 to June 2021 were included. Data was collected on demographics (age, sex, ethnicity), diabetes-related factors (the type, duration, complications and medications) and clinical risk factors for osteoporotic fracture (parental fracture, previous fracture, smoking, alcohol intake) from patient interviews and the FRAX score was calculated. FRAX tool was modified for diabetes by adding either 10 years of age or Rheumatoid arthritis as risk factor. Results Mean age of our cohort of patients was 67 years and their mean BMI was 33 kg/sq m. Duration of diabetes was over 5 years in 95% of the patients. T2DM was seen in 82% and Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in 18%. The mean HbA1c was 8.4%. Unadjusted mean FRAX score for a major osteoporotic fracture was 8.9% and hip fracture 2.3%. High risk of future fracture was seen in 4% of the patients and intermediate risk in 23% and low risk in 73%. Four patients had Rheumatoid arthritis and 21 had previous fragility fractures. Modifying the FRAX tool by adding 10 years to age moved 15% more patients to the intermediate-risk category needing DXA and 5% more to the high-risk category needing osteoporosis treatment. However, adding Rheumatoid arthritis changed 20% more patients to the intermediate-risk category needing DXA and 7% more to the high-risk category needing osteoporosis treatment. Conclusion Modifying FRAX tool in patients with diabetes mellitus will enable more patients to have a DXA scan and to receive osteoporosis treatment and the strategy using rheumatoid arthritis as a risk factor identified more patients than adding 10 years of age. Disclosure M. Mathew: None. S. Dwivedi: None. H. Buch: None. S. Venkatachalam: None.

A clinical tool to identify older women with back pain at high risk of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (Vfrac): a population-based cohort study with exploratory economic evaluation.

osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) identify people at high risk of future fractures, but despite this, less than a third come to clinical attention. The objective of this study was to develop a clinical tool to aid health care professionals decide which older women with back pain should have a spinal radiograph. a population-based cohort of 1,635 women aged 65+ years with self-reported back pain in the previous 4 months were recruited from primary care. Exposure data were collected through self-completion questionnaires and physical examination, including descriptions of back pain and traditional risk factors for osteoporosis. Outcome was the presence/absence of OVFs on spinal radiographs. Logistic regression models identified independent predictors of OVFs, with the area under the (receiver operating) curve calculated for the final model, and a cut-point was identified. mean age was 73.9years and 209 (12.8%) had OVFs. The final Vfrac model comprised 15 predictors of OVF, with an AUC of 0.802 (95% CI: 0.764-0.840). Sensitivity was 72.4% and specificity was 72.9%. Vfrac identified 93% of those with more than one OVF and two-thirds of those with one OVF. Performance was enhanced by inclusion of self-reported back pain descriptors, removal of which reduced AUC to 0.742 (95% CI: 0.696-0.788) and sensitivity to 66.5%. Health economic modelling to support a future trial was favourable. the Vfrac clinical tool appears to be valid and is improved by the addition of self-reported back pain symptoms. The tool now requires testing to establish real-world clinical and cost-effectiveness.

P117 Exploring experiences of Fracture Liaison Services and perceptions of a new decision tool to support patient and clinician decisions: a focus group study

Abstract Background/Aims The iFraP study (Improving uptake of Fracture Prevention Treatments) is developing a computerised decision-support tool to support clinician decision-making, risk communication and informed patient decision-making in Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) consultations. To inform iFraP intervention development, this study explored 1) patient and clinician experiences of FLSs and 2) perspectives towards the new iFraP tool. Methods Four focus groups and supplementary interviews included 9 FLS clinicians, 7 General Practitioners (GPs), and 8 patients who recently attended an FLS consultation. Theoretically-informed thematic analysis was conducted to facilitate understanding of current FLS practice, potential intervention acceptability and possible barriers to, and facilitators of, implementation. Results FLS clinicians and GPs suggested that FLSs worked well to identify patients at high risk of future fracture and to recommend medication. FLS clinicians were confident in their role and felt their consultations were person-centred and addressed information needs. However, some FLS clinicians described communicating risk as difficult and gave examples of when they are uncertain whether medication should be recommended (e.g. patient with osteopenic bone mineral density). FLS clinicians had varying perceptions of their roles in discussing medications, with some not viewing this as their responsibility; whereas GPs reported that medication discussions were an important aspect of the FLS clinician role. When medication recommendations (and discussion) were delivered, the setting varied across services including face-to-face in clinic or at the patient’s home, by letter, or by telephone. On the whole, patients reflected positively on their FLS appointment. However, some patients described unmet information needs, such as risk of future fractures, potential benefits and risks of medications, and information about follow-up.Many FLS clinicians and GPs reflected upon the potential value of the tool, including the inclusion of visual images to facilitate understanding of fracture risk, and to promote consistent messages across FLSs and between primary and secondary care. Barriers to intervention implementation were also identified. Clinicians expressed concern that evidence-based Cates plots to support explanations of medication effectiveness may make patients believe medications are not ‘worthwhile’. This suggests that clinicians prioritised promotion of medication adherence over informed decision-making, highlighting that the goal of FLS clinicians and iFraP may not align. Furthermore, concern was expressed that use of a computerised tool may detract from the clinician-patient relationship. Conclusion These novel findings illustrate the experience of FLS consultations from three perspectives. They highlight FLS clinicians’ clinical decision-support needs and patients’ unmet need for clear information that addresses their medication concerns. Overall, the iFraP intervention was viewed as acceptable, with the potential to support clinicians’ decision-making and to facilitate informed decision-making. Differences in FLS configuration and a move to more remote consulting may mean the intervention needs to be adaptable to different settings to address barriers to implementation. Disclosure L. Bullock: None. C. Jinks: Grants/research support; CJ is part funded by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West Midlands. A. Hawarden: Grants/research support; AH is a NIHR funded Academic Clinical Fellow. F. Crawford-Manning: Grants/research support; FCM is part funded by the NIHR Clinical Research Network Scholar Programme. S. Leyland: None. J. Fleming: None. E.M. Clark: None. E. Cottrell: None. J. Edwards: Grants/research support; JE is an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Primary Care (CL-2016-10-003). Z. Paskins: Grants/research support; ZP is funded by the NIHR, Clinician Scientist Award (CS-2018-18-ST2-010)/NIHR Academy.

FRAX scores are increased in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis

Prognosis in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) has greatly improved with immunosuppressive use whereas incidence of treatment-related comorbidities such as osteoporosis has increased. However, studies investigating bone disease in AAV are limited. Fracture Risk Assesment Tool (FRAX) was developed to estimate 10-year hip and major osteoporotic fracture risks. Aim of this study was to estimate FRAX scores in AAV patients and compare them to healthy controls. 30 AAV patients and 20 healthy controls were included. Demographic, disease, and medication history were recorded from patient files. Femoral neck, lumbar spine and forearm bone mineral densitometry, and thoracolumbar radiographs were performed. FRAX fracture risk scoring was assessed for all participants. There were 18 male and 12 female patients. Mean age was 58.5 ± 11.7years. Osteoporosis and osteopenia were present in 23.3% and 50% of patients, respectively. There were fractures in eight patients (26.7%). FRAX major fracture (9.4 ± 7.3% vs 5.9 ± 3.2%, p = 0.02) and hip fracture (2.2 ± 3.2% vs 0.9 ± 0.8%, p = 0.03) scores were higher in patients than controls. In seven (23.3%) patients, the 10-year probability of hip fracture was ≥ 3% and in five (16%) patients the 10-year risk of a major osteoporosis-related fracture was ≥ 20%. None of the controls exceeded these thresholds. AAV patients are at high risk for future fractures as calculated with FRAX. Life-long monitoring for bone disease and fractures are essential. Large studies with longer follow-up are needed to determine the accuracy of FRAX risk scoring in predicting fractures.

Effects of once-yearly zoledronic acid on bone density and incident vertebral fractures in nonmetastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer patients with osteoporosis

BackgroundAndrogen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the effective treating prostate cancer but is often accompanied by cancer treatment-induced bone loss (CTIBL), which impairs the patient’s quality of life. In patients with nonmetastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (M0CSPC) who already have osteoporosis before starting ADT, appropriate bone-modifying agent intervention must be performed in parallel, as the patient has a high risk of future fracture. However, little is known about therapeutic interventions aimed at preventing the progression of CTIBL and new fractures. The present study explored the effect of once-yearly zoledronic acid 5 mg (ZOL 5 mg) on bone mineral density (BMD) and new vertebral fractures (VFs) in M0CSPC patients with coexisting osteoporosis before starting ADT.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, multi-institutional, cohort study involving 42 M0CSPC patients with osteoporosis who had undergone ADT with/without a single intravenous infusion of ZOL 5 mg at the start of ADT (ZOL 5 mg group, n = 26; control group, n = 16). The association of the ZOL 5 mg with changes in the BMD from baseline to 12 months and the incidence of VFs were evaluated.ResultsPrevalent VFs were found in 47.6% of all patients at baseline. ZOL 5 mg significantly increased the lumbar spine BMD (LS-BMD) (mean rate of change: + 4.02%, p < 0.0001) and significantly decreased the TRACP-5b (mean rate of change: − 52.1%, p < 0.0001) at 12 months after starting ADT. Incident VFs were identified in 19.0% of all patients at 12 months after starting ADT. After adjusting for the age, BMI, and changes in the LS-BMD, ZOL 5 mg was not significantly associated with incident VFs (odds ratio 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.04–11.3, p = 0.7774).ConclusionZOL 5 mg significantly increased the LS-BMD 12 months after starting ADT, and our short-term results showed that ZOL 5 mg was not significantly correlated with the suppression of incident vertebral fractures.

Patients 80 + have similar medication initiation rates to those aged 50-79 in Ontario FLS.

In 39 FLS fracture clinics across Ontario, Canada, fracture prevention coordinators identified, assessed, and facilitated the referral of eligible patients for bone densitometry, fracture risk assessment, and implementation of pharmacotherapy in patients classified as high risk for future fracture. Variables assessed at baseline included age, sex, marital status, living location, fracture location, history of previous fracture, parent's history of hip fracture, history of falls, and fracture risk status. At 6months, bone active medication initiation was assessed in patients classified as high risk for future fracture. The Chi-square test of independence was used to compare medication initiation rates between patients 80 + and those 50-79years old. Our sample size consisted of 808 patients aged 50-79years and 346 aged 80 + years. After accounting for fracture risk status, there was no statistically significant difference in medication initiation rates of patients 50-79 and 80 + years old (76.9% versus 73.7%, p = 0.251). A systematic approach to identifying patients at high risk for future fracture and tailoring treatment recommendations to these patients appeared to eliminate differences in treatment initiation rates based on older age.

Prevalent vertebral fractures incur high risk of future fractures in inflammatory myositis.

To assess accrual of new vertebral fractures (VF) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM) over a period of time. Hundred patients who were previously enrolled for a cross-sectional study on prevalence of asymptomatic VF were telephonically requested to review with repeat spinal radiographs and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) after 3 years. Radiographs were scored using Genant's semi-quantitative technique. Disease activity and damage were assessed by myositis damage index (MDI) extent of damage and modified MDI for which the osteoporotic fracture item in MDI was removed. VF progressors were compared with non-progressors. Of 31 patients reviewed, 11 had dermatomyositis, 8 polymyositis, and 6 each overlap and anti-synthetase syndrome. Eighteen patients underwent DEXA scan. Seventeen had VF at baseline. At 91.62 patient years of follow-up, total number of VF increased from 27 to 51. Patients who had previous VF had higher risk of developing a new VF when compared with those with no VF (76.5% vs. 14.28%, RR: 5.35). Patients with old VF accrue fractures at a rate of 26.2 per 100 patient years. The number of fractures correlated significantly with age, T scores at the L4 level, and lower third of radius on DEXA, MDI, and modified MDI. Neither conventional nor disease-related variables differed between progressors and non-progressors. Patients with IIM with a prior VF incurred a five times risk of subsequent VF irrespective of disease activity and glucocorticoids. Key Points • Patients with inflammatory myositis are at a high risk of asymptomatic vertebral fractures. • Patients with baseline vertebral fractures incur a high risk of future fractures on follow-up. • Number of fractures is negatively correlated with age, BMD values at lower end of radius, L4, and damage.

Factors associated with the contemplative stage of readiness to initiate osteoporosis treatment.

Understanding factors associated with reaching the contemplative stage of readiness to initiate osteoporosis treatment may inform the design of behavioral interventions to improve osteoporosis treatment uptake in women at high risk for fracture. We measured readiness to initiate osteoporosis treatment using a modified form of the Weinstein Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM) among 2684 women at high risk of fracture from the Activating Patients at Risk for OsteoPOroSis (APROPOS) clinical trial. Pre-contemplative participants were those who self-classified in the unaware and unengaged stages of PAPM (stages 1 and 2). Contemplative participants were those in the undecided, decided not to act, or decided to act stages of PAPM (stages 3, 4, and 5). Using multivariable logistic regression, we evaluated participant characteristics associated with levels of readiness to initiate osteoporosis treatment. Overall, 24% (N = 412) self-classified in the contemplative stage of readiness to initiate osteoporosis treatment. After adjusting for age, race, education, health literacy, and major osteoporotic fracture in the past 12months, contemplative women were more likely to report previously being told they had osteoporosis or osteopenia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] (95% CI) 11.8 (7.8-17.9) and 3.8 (2.5-5.6), respectively), acknowledge concern about osteoporosis (aOR 3.5 (2.5-4.9)), and disclose prior osteoporosis treatment (aOR 4.5 (3.3-6.3)) than women who self-classified as pre-contemplative. For women at high risk for future fractures, ensuring women's recognition of their diagnosis of osteoporosis/osteopenia and addressing their concerns about osteoporosis are critical components to consider when attempting to influence stage of behavior transitions in osteoporosis treatment.

Natural language processing of radiology reports for identification of skeletal site-specific fractures

BackgroundOsteoporosis has become an important public health issue. Most of the population, particularly elderly people, are at some degree of risk of osteoporosis-related fractures. Accurate identification and surveillance of patient populations with fractures has a significant impact on reduction of cost of care by preventing future fractures and its corresponding complications.MethodsIn this study, we developed a rule-based natural language processing (NLP) algorithm for identification of twenty skeletal site-specific fractures from radiology reports. The rule-based NLP algorithm was based on regular expressions developed using MedTagger, an NLP tool of the Apache Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA) pipeline to facilitate information extraction from clinical narratives. Radiology notes were retrieved from the Mayo Clinic electronic health records data warehouse. We developed rules for identifying each fracture type according to physicians’ knowledge and experience, and refined these rules via verification with physicians. This study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) for human subject research.ResultsWe validated the NLP algorithm using the radiology reports of a community-based cohort at Mayo Clinic with the gold standard constructed by medical experts. The micro-averaged results of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and F1-score of the proposed NLP algorithm are 0.930, 1.0, 1.0, 0.941, 0.961, respectively. The F1-score is 1.0 for 8 fractures, and above 0.9 for a total of 17 out of 20 fractures (85%).ConclusionsThe results verified the effectiveness of the proposed rule-based NLP algorithm in automatic identification of osteoporosis-related skeletal site-specific fractures from radiology reports. The NLP algorithm could be utilized to accurately identify the patients with fractures and those who are also at high risk of future fractures due to osteoporosis. Appropriate care interventions to those patients, not only the most at-risk patients but also those with emerging risk, would significantly reduce future fractures.

Pelvic fragility fractures in older people admitted to hospital: the clinical burden.

Pelvic fragility fractures are common in older people. To deliver better care in hospital, a better understanding of their characteristics and outcomes post-hospitalisation will allow clinicians to better design hospital services to manage their needs. Using routinely collected electronic hospital records over 3months, data were collected and analysed on consecutive patients admitted with pelvic fragility fractures (as defined by a pelvic fracture sustaining following a fall from standing height or less) to acute medical wards for older people. Twenty-four patients were admitted over this period. Their mean age was 87years (SD 9.4), the majority were female (83%), a significant proportion had cognitive impairment with an abbreviated mental test score of ≤ 7 (67%), and the median number of comorbid conditions was three. These patients were at high risk of future fractures (50% with a known diagnosis of osteoporosis; significant FRAX scores; 75% had a fall) but only 50% had a bone health assessment. The median duration in hospital was 13days. 33% of patients were discharged home directly while the rest were discharged to either a care home or another hospital for further rehabilitation. 54% had a hospital-related complication including kidney injury, delirium, and hospital-acquired infections-there were two inpatient mortalities. At 3months post-fracture, 54% were readmitted and 33% died. Pelvic fragility fractures are associated with worse inpatient and post-discharge clinical outcomes. This is an older multi-morbid cohort needing significant post-fracture rehabilitation care. Their care in hospital needs to address their management complexities.

Putting the Brakes on Breaks: Osteoporosis Screening and Fracture Prevention.

Introduction:This prospective study sought to implement a screening tool to identify and risk stratify at-risk patients for osteoporosis and evaluate patient knowledge of osteoporosis and fragility fractures in an orthopedic trauma clinic affiliated with a level 1 trauma academic center.Methods:Of 297 eligible patients, 291 were screened and risk stratified. Patients completed an osteoporosis screening questionnaire and were risk stratified. Lifestyle advice was given to patients at low fracture risk. A dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan was ordered for patients at intermediate fracture risk. A referral was initiated for treatment to a bone health specialist in high fracture risk patients. Twenty patients completed a knowledge-based pretest/posttest.Results:A total of 291 patients were screened, which represented 97.7% of patients over the age of 50. Of those patients, 165 (56.7%) patients met criteria for further osteoporosis evaluation as they were considered either intermediate or high risk for future fractures. One hundred thirty-six (82.4%) patients were referred for bone mineral density evaluation. For the knowledge-based evaluation portion, patients had a 33% gain in knowledge (P = .0004). The largest knowledge deficit identified pertained to osteoporosis risk factors and lifestyle management.Discussion:The use of an osteoporosis screening questionnaire in the orthopedic trauma clinic produced clinically significant improvement in identification of at-risk patients. A lack of knowledge regarding osteoporosis and fragility fractures was found to exist among these patients.Conclusion:The implementation of an osteoporosis screening tool to identify, risk stratify, and treat patients with osteoporosis and related fragility fractures can be successfully integrated into a busy clinical practice.

Non-participation in systematic screening for osteoporosis-the ROSE trial.

Participation is crucial to the success of a screening program. The objective of this study was to analyze non-participation in Risk-stratified Osteoporosis Strategy Evaluation, a two-step population-based screening program for osteoporosis. Thirty-four thousand two hundred twenty-nine women aged 65 to 81years were randomly selected from the background population and randomized to either a screening group (intervention) or a control group. All women received a self-administered questionnaire designed to allow calculation of future risk of fracture based on FRAX. In the intervention group, women with an estimated high risk of future fracture were invited to DXA scanning. Information on individual socioeconomic status and comorbidity was obtained from national registers. A completed questionnaire was returned by 20,905 (61%) women. Non-completion was associated with older age, living alone, lower education, lower income, and higher comorbidity. In the intervention group, ticking "not interested in DXA" in the questionnaire was associated with older age, living alone, and low self-perceived fracture risk. Women with previous fracture or history of parental hip fracture were more likely to accept screening by DXA. Dropping out when offered DXA, was associated with older age, current smoking, higher alcohol consumption, and physical impairment. Barriers to population-based screening for osteoporosis appear to be both psychosocial and physical in nature. Women who decline are older, have lower self-perceived fracture risk, and more often live alone compared to women who accept the program. Dropping out after primary acceptance is associated not only with aging and physical impairment but also with current smoking and alcohol consumption. Measures to increase program participation could include targeted information and reducing physical barriers for attending screening procedures.

Osteoporotic Vertebral Fracture Prevalence Varies Widely Between Qualitative and Quantitative Radiological Assessment Methods: The Rotterdam Study.

Accurate diagnosis of vertebral osteoporotic fractures is crucial for the identification of individuals at high risk of future fractures. Different methods for radiological assessment of vertebral fractures exist, but a gold standard is lacking. The aim of our study was to estimate statistical measures of agreement and prevalence of osteoporotic vertebral fractures in the population-based Rotterdam Study, across two assessment methods. The quantitative morphometry assisted by SpineAnalyzer® (QM SA) method evaluates vertebral height loss that affects vertebral shape whereas the algorithm-based qualitative (ABQ) method judges endplate integrity and includes guidelines for the differentiation of vertebral fracture and nonfracture deformities. Cross-sectional radiographs were assessed for 7582 participants aged 45 to 95 years. With QM SA, the prevalence was 14.2% (95% CI, 13.4% to 15.0%), compared to 4.0% (95% CI, 3.6% to 4.5%) with ABQ. Inter-method agreement according to kappa (κ) was 0.24. The highest agreement between methods was among females (κ = 0.31), participants age >80 years (κ = 0.40), and at the L1 level (κ = 0.40). With ABQ, most fractures were found at the thoracolumbar junction (T12 -L1 ) followed by the T7 -T8 level, whereas with QM SA, most deformities were in the mid thoracic (T7 -T8 ) and lower thoracic spine (T11 -T12 ), with similar number of fractures in both peaks. Excluding mild QM SA deformities (grade 1 with QM) from the analysis increased, the agreement between the methods from κ = 0.24 to 0.40, whereas reexamining mild deformities based on endplate depression increased agreement from κ = 0.24 to 0.50 (p <0.001). Vertebral fracture prevalence differs significantly between QM SA and ABQ; reexamining QM mild deformities based on endplate depression would increase the agreement between methods. More widespread and consistent application of an optimal method may improve clinical care. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Pain and fracture-related limitations persist 6months after a fragility fracture.

Our objective was to examine the experience of pain after a fracture beyond the conventional healing duration of 6months. We conducted a phenomenological study in participants who were deemed high risk for future fracture and recruited through an urban fracture clinic in Toronto, Canada. In-depth interviews were conducted with questions addressing the experience of pain, the status of recovery from the fracture, ways in which the fracture affected one's daily activities, and interactions with health care providers. Two researchers coded the transcripts within the phenomenological perspective to develop a structure of the pain experience, promoting rigour through the use of multiple analysts, searching for negative cases, and supporting claims with direct quotations from participants. We interviewed 21 participants who had sustained fractures of the wrist (n=4), hip (n=6), vertebrae (n=2), and multiple or other locations (n=9). All patients were ambulatory, had a range of socioeconomic status, and lived in the community. Eleven of the 21 participants reported persistent pain at the site of the fracture. Of the 10 participants who reported no pain, four indicated they had ongoing difficulties with range of motion and specific activities and two others described persistent pain from a previous fracture or reliance on a scooter for mobility. Our study demonstrated that over two-thirds of older adults reported fracture-related pain and/or limitations at, or beyond, 6months post-fracture. We suggest that health care providers ask questions about post-fracture pain and/or limitations when assessing fracture status beyond 6months.

Clinical Management of Vertebral Compression Fractures

Vertebral compression fractures (VCF's) are the most common form of osteoporotic fractures. Whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, they both represent a high risk for not only vertebral but also nonvertebral fractures in untreated populations. This high risk of future fracture after a VCF is independent of the T-score because bone strength is a combination of bone mineral density and bone quality. VCFs are the single greatest risk for future fractures at all other skeletal sites in untreated populations, including hip fractures. They are often unrecognized despite their exceptionally high prevalence in all genders and most ethnic groups as age increases. This article highlights some of the key messages about VCF's, and how assessment for their presence and then management will reduce the risk of all osteoporotic fractures.

Patients do not have a consistent understanding of high risk for future fracture: a qualitative study of patients from a post-fracture secondary prevention program.

We examined fracture patients' understanding of "high" fracture risk after they were screened through a post-fracture secondary prevention program and educated about their risk verbally, numerically, and graphically. Our findings suggest that messages about fracture risk are confusing to patients and need to be modified to better suit patients' needs. The aim of this study was to examine fracture patients' understanding of high risk for future fracture. We conducted an in-depth qualitative study in patients who were high risk for future fracture. Patients were screened through the Osteoporosis Exemplary Care Program where they were educated about fracture risk: verbally told they were "high risk" for future fracture, given a numerical prompt that they had a >20 % chance of future fracture over the next 10 years, and given a visual graph highlighting the "high risk" segment. This information about fracture risk was also relayed to patients' primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists. Participants were interviewed at baseline (within six months of fracture) and follow-up (after visit with a PCP and/or specialist) and asked to recall their understanding of risk and whether it applied to them. We recruited 27 patients (20 females, 7 males) aged 51-87 years old. Fractures were sustained at the wrist (n = 7), hip (n = 7), vertebrae (n = 2), and multiple or other locations (n = 11). While most participants recalled they had been labeled as "high risk" (verbal cue), most were unable to correctly recall the other elements of risk (numerical, graphical). Further, approximately half of the patients who recalled they were high risk did not believe that high risk applied, or had meaning, to them. Participants also had difficulty explaining what they were at risk for. Our results suggest that health care providers' messages about fracture risk are confusing to patients and that these messages need to be modified to better suit patients' needs.

Comparison of Speed of Sound Measures Assessed by Multisite Quantitative Ultrasound to Bone Mineral Density Measures Assessed by Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in a Large Canadian Cohort: the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos)

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is an important tool for the estimate of fracture risk through the measurement of bone mineral density (BMD). Similarly, multisite quantitate ultrasound can prospectively predict future fracture through the measurement of speed of sound (SOS). This investigation compared BMD (at the femoral neck, total hip, and lumbar spine) and SOS measures (at the distal radius, tibia, and phalanx sites) in a large sample of randomly-selected and community-based individuals from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study. Furthermore, mass, height, and age were also compared with both measures. There were 4123 patients included with an age range of 30–96.8 yr. Pearson product moment correlations between BMD and SOS measures were low (0.21–0.29; all p < 0.001), irrespective of site. Mass was moderately correlated with BMD measures (0.40–0.58; p < 0.001), but lowly correlated with SOS measures (0.03–0.13; p < 0.05). BMD and SOS were negatively correlated to age (−0.17 to −0.44; p < 0.001). When regression analyses were performed to predict SOS measures at the 3 sites, the models predicted 20%–23% of the variance, leaving 77%–80% unaccounted for. The SOS measures in this study were found to be largely independent from BMD measures. In areas with no or limited access to DXA, the multisite quantitative ultrasound may act as a valuable tool to assess fracture risk. In locales with liberal access to DXA, the addition of SOS to BMD and other clinical risk factors may improve the identification of those patients at high risk for future fracture.

Fracture prevention service to bridge the osteoporosis care gap.

BackgroundA care gap exists between the health care needs of older persons with fragility fractures and the therapeutic answers they receive. The Fracture Prevention Service (FPS), a tailored in-hospital model of care, may effectively bridge the osteoporosis care gap for hip-fractured older persons. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the FPS in targeting persons at high risk of future fracture and to improve their adherence to treatment.MethodsThis was a prospective observational study conducted in a teaching hospital with traumatology and geriatric units, and had a pre-intervention and post-intervention phase. The records of 172 participants were evaluated in the pre-intervention phase, while data from 210 participants were gathered in the post-intervention phase. All participants underwent telephone follow-up at 12 months after hospital discharge. The participants were patients aged ≥65 years admitted to the orthopedic acute ward who underwent surgical repair of a proximal femoral fracture. A multidisciplinary integrated model of care was established. Dedicated pathways were implemented in clinical practice to optimize the identification of high-risk persons, improve their evaluation through bone mineral density testing and blood examinations, and initiate an appropriate treatment for secondary prevention of falls and fragility fractures.ResultsCompared with the pre-intervention phase, more hip-fractured persons received bone mineral density testing (47.62% versus 14.53%, P<0.0001), specific pharmacological treatments (48.51% versus 17.16%, P<0.0001), and an appointment for evaluation at a fall and fracture clinic (52.48% versus 2.37%, P<0.0001) in the post-intervention phase. Independent of some confounders, implementation of the FPS was positively associated with recommendations for secondary fracture prevention at discharge (P<0.0001) and with 1-year adherence to pharmacological treatment (P<0.0001).ConclusionThe FPS is an effective multidisciplinary integrated model of care to optimize identification of older persons at highest risk for fragility fracture, to improve their clinical management, and to increase adherence to prescriptions.