World Health Organization Fracture Research Articles

Implications of the Fracture Risk Assessment Algorithm for the assessment and improvement of bone health in patients with prostate cancer: A comprehensive review.

Maintaining the optimum bone health is one of the important concerns in patients with prostate cancer, but it usually remains neglected. Failure to screen these patients is detrimental to both the length and the quality of life. The estimation of bone mineral density (BMD) and more recently the World Health Organization's fracture risk assessment (FRAX) algorithm in appropriate patients is recommended by several specialty organizations/associations at the time of instituting androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for metastatic and high-risk individuals. It provides a 10-year risk evaluation of hip and major osteoporotic fractures (MOF). Using this web-based new investigating tool, candidates at high risk of fractures can be predicted more accurately according to clinical risk factors (CRF) alone or in combination with the femoral neck BMD. The FRAX application for senile osteoporosis has been studied and reviewed extensively, but no systematic review has ever been conducted for assessing the implication of FRAX in prostate cancer. This review article will give insight about the validity, role, and utility of this investigating tool in clinical practice for fracture risk assessment in these individuals. This systematic review was carried out as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines and Cochrane review principles. We searched the PubMed, Cochrane database of systematic reviews, and the EMBASE electronic database until December 2018 using the medical subject heading terms prostate cancer and FRAX. A total of nine studies meet the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. These studies enrolled a total of 3704 patients (sample size range, 78-1220) of localized, metastatic, castration resistant prostate cancer with or without ADT and/or on photon or radiotherapy. The factors that influenced FRAX included age, ethnicity, baseline BMD, duration of ADT, presence of CRF, and measurement methods (CRF, with/without BMD, computed tomography based). An advanced age and duration of ADT were the most robust risk factors. A 10-year MOF and hip fracture risk estimation was higher when the femoral neck BMD was not incorporated in the FRAX measurement. Despite several well-known strengths of using FRAX in the fracture risk assessment of suitable candidates with prostate cancer, several risk factors such as the mode/duration of ADT, mode of radiotherapy, Vitamin D levels, bone remodeling markers, and recent/recurrent fractures need to be incorporated in the FRAX calculator for improving the predictive ability. In contrast to senile osteoporosis with a longer life expectancy, the fracture risk in patients with prostate cancer need to be measured more frequently and for a shorter time. Therefore, models like Garvan calculator with both 5- and 10-year risk estimates have to be developed for these patients. Additionally, its utilization is of limited value in the presence of recurrent fractures or falls. The FRAX algorithm is beneficial in identifying patients who require early intervention or bone-directed therapy as an early step to decrease skeletal-related events and other morbidity. Several risk factors need to be added for improving the FRAX predictive value. This model is still underutilized in the clinical practice and increasing the awareness among treating physicians will help in optimizing the bone health and the quality of life of this important population subgroup.

Annals for Educators - 6 June 2017

Annals for Educators - 6 June 2017

Very high frequency of fragility fractures associated with high-dose glucocorticoids in postmenopausal women: A retrospective study

PurposeTo evaluate the incidence of fragility fractures associated with high-dose glucocorticoid therapy in patients with systemic rheumatic disease.Methods: A retrospective study of patients who were treated with high-dose prednisolone (>0.8mg/kg) for systemic rheumatic disease at Kobe University Hospital from April 1988 to March 2012. The primary outcome was a major osteoporotic fracture (defined as a clinical vertebral, hip, forearm, or proximal humerus fracture) after high-dose glucocorticoid therapy. For postmenopausal women and men over 40 of age, the patient's fracture risk at the beginning of high-dose glucocorticoid therapy was assessed by the World Health Organization's Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®).ResultsOf 229 patients (median age: 49years), 57 suffered a fragility fracture during the observation period (median observation period: 1558days). Of 84 premenopausal patients, 5 suffered a fracture. In contrast, of 86 postmenopausal female, 36 suffered a fracture. Fragility fractures were far more frequent than predicted by the FRAX® score. Patients with FRAX® scores over 8.3% had a particularly high risk of fracture.ConclusionsFragility fractures associated with high-dose glucocorticoid therapy are common among postmenopausal women. Extreme care should be taken especially for postmenopausal women when high-dose glucocorticoid therapy is required.

Pre-screening young postmenopausal women for BMD testing.

Pre-screening young postmenopausal women for BMD testing.

The clinical utility of FRAX to discriminate fracture status in men and women with chronic kidney disease

We assessed the ability of the World Health Organization's fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX), bone mineral density (BMD), and age to discriminate fracture status in adults with pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD). In adults with CKD, FRAX was able to discriminate fracture status but performed no better than BMD alone. Patients with CKD are at increased risk for fracture but the best method to assess fracture risk is not known. We assessed the ability of the World Health Organization's FRAX, compared with BMD at the femoral neck (FN), and age to discriminate fracture status (prevalent clinical nonspine and/or morphometric vertebral) in men and women, 18 years and older with pre-dialysis CKD. Results are presented as area under receiver operator characteristic curves (AUC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). We enrolled 353 subjects; mean age was 65 ± 14 years; weight was 79 ± 18 kg, and estimated glomerular filtration rate was 28 ml/min/1.73 m(2). About one third of the subjects had a prevalent clinical nonspine and/or morphometric vertebral fracture. FRAX was able to discriminate among those with prevalent clinical nonspine fractures (AUC, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.65-0.78), morphometric vertebral fractures (AUC, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.59-0.73), and any fracture (AUC, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.65-0.77). The discriminative ability of BMD at the FN alone was similar to FRAX for morphometric vertebral and any fractures; FRAX performed better than BMD for prevalent clinical nonspine fractures (AUC for BMD alone, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.60-0.73). Compared to FRAX, the AUC for age alone was lower for all fracture types. Among men and women with CKD, FRAX is able to discriminate fracture status but performs no better than BMD alone.

Screening Postmenopausal Women for Fall and Fracture Prevention

Fragility fracture prevention has been historically associated with the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. Given that the strongest determinant of fracture is falls, it is critical to add fall risk into clinical decision-making guidelines for fracture prevention. This special interest paper proposes an algorithm based on 2 validated tools: (1) World Health Organization's Fracture Risk Assessment Tool, which evaluates probability of fracture and (2) Functional Gait Assessment, which evaluates fall risk. Physical therapists can use this algorithm to better identify patients at greatest risk for fracture in order to customize interventions designed to promote bone health, minimize falls, and ultimately prevent fractures. Recommendations for referral, patient education, and exercise are provided for categories of varying fall and fracture risk.

Eldecalcitol is more effective for the prevention of osteoporotic fractures than alfacalcidol

Eldecalcitol, a vitamin D3 analogue, significantly reduces the risk of new vertebral fractures and increases bone mineral density (BMD) more than does alfacalcidol. To determine the effect of eldecalcitol on the incidence of all fragility fractures caused by osteoporosis, we conducted post hoc analyses of the phase III clinical trial to evaluate the incidence of the osteoporotic fractures defined in the World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Report, and, also, the incidence of the major osteoporotic fractures utilized in the WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX), and compared those in the eldecalcitol group with those in the alfacalcidol group. We also analyzed the incidence of osteoporotic fractures stratified by prespecified risk factors for fractures. Eldecalcitol treatment reduced the incidence of osteoporotic fractures defined by the WHO more than alfacalcidol treatment (18.6 % vs. 25.2 %; hazard ratio, 0.70; 95 % CI, 0.54–0.93). Prevalent vertebral fractures, two or more prevalent vertebral fractures, and total hip BMD T score less than −2.5 were the risk factors for new osteoporotic fractures with significant differences between the two treatments. Eldecalcitol also decreased the incidence of major osteoporotic fractures in the FRAX more than alfacalcidol (11.1 % vs. 16.3 %; hazard ratio, 0.66; 95 % CI, 0.46–0.94). In conclusion, treatment with eldecalcitol reduced the risk of fragility fractures caused by osteoporosis compared with alfacalcidol administration, which may result from a potent effect of eldecalcitol on BMD, bone structure, and bone turnover.

Validity of bone mineral density and WHO fracture risk assessment thresholds in hip fractures.

Hip fractures are common and serious consequence of osteoporosis. Bone mineral density (BMD) measurement and the World Health Organization (WHO) fracture risk assessment tool are considered to predict the hip osteoporotic fractures. In this study, their sensitivities in hip fracture cases are evaluated. BMD and WHO probability of fracture risk were determined in 71 hip fractures ≥ 50 years of old. Totally, 65% of patients had ≤-2.5 BMD T score. 81% of patients had above the upper interventional threshold of WHO fracture risk probability model. Sensitivities were low in 50-59 year age group with progression in older age groups. Results of BMD T score and fracture risk probabilities were not significant between men and women. There were 23% and 49% sensitivities of less than or equal to -2.5 T score in the 50-59 and 60-69 year age groups with a 31% sensitivity of greater than 3% probability of hip fracture risk in the 50-59 year age group, both of which were not valid for predicting hip fracture risk.

Bone Densitometry and Vertebral Fracture Assessment

Measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) is used to diagnose osteoporosis, assess fracture risk, and monitor response to therapy. Of the different methods for measuring BMD, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the only technology for classifying BMD according to criteria established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the only technology that is validated for BMD input with the WHO fracture risk assessment algorithm, FRAX. Vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) by DXA provides an image of the thoracic and lumbar spine for the purpose of detecting vertebral fracture deformities. Identification of a previously unrecognized vertebral fracture may change diagnostic classification, assessment of fracture risk, and treatment decisions. In comparison with standard radiographs of the spine, the correlation for detecting moderate and severe vertebral fractures is good, with a smaller dose of ionizing irradiation, greater patient convenience, and lower cost. Optimal performance of DXA and VFA requires training and adherence to quality standards.

Estimation of the 10-year Probability of Osteoporotic Fracture in Postmenopausal Taiwanese Women With FRAX

Objective As the proportion of the aging population rises dramatically, osteoporotic fractures among the elderly have become a global health concern. We assessed the prevalence of osteoporosis and estimated the 10-year probability of osteoporotic fractures among postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods Patients who were undergoing a checkup at a teaching hospital in eastern Taiwan were invited to participate in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to ascertain their demographics, diet, lifestyle, and reproductive and medical histories. The bone mineral density (BMD) of the posterior-anterior lumbar spine (L1–L4) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. A diagnosis of osteoporosis was made according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. The 10-year probability of osteoporotic fracture was computed online without BMD data with the WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX). Results: In total, 475 postmenopausal women were involved in this study. The prevalence of osteoporosis was 37.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 33.2%, 41.5%]. The mean 10-year probabilities of a major osteoporotic or hip fracture were 13.8% (95% CI = 10.7%, 16.9%) and 2.2% (95% CI = 0.8%, 3.5%), respectively. For women aged ≥ 70 years, the mean 10-year probability of an osteoporotic fracture was 24.3% (95% CI = 13.6%, 35.0%). In total, approximately 17.1% (95% CI = 14.0%, 20.5%) of women were at high risk of a major osteoporotic fracture (risk > 20%) and 20.3% (95% CI = 16.1%, 23.9%) were at high risk of a hip fracture (> 3%). Furthermore, one in four osteoporotic women was at high risk of a major osteoporotic fracture. Conclusion Osteoporosis is common among postmenopausal women, and the risk of osteoporotic fracture is of great concern particularly among older women and vegetarians. Ongoing studies of fracture rates should be followed up, and strategies and research directed at fracture prevention should be prioritized as the proportion of the aged population increases.

Osteoporosis: Background and Overview

Osteoporosis commonly occurs in elderly women and men and is characterized by compromised bone strength and quality. If left untreated, it can lead to fractures that are associated with significant morbidity and high health costs. Effective risk assessment as part of a thorough clinical evaluation is the key to detecting patients who have osteoporosis or those who are at risk for developing the disease. This article reviews the etiology and epidemiology of osteoporosis and its economic impact. It also presents the pathophysiology of the disease and the types of fractures associated with it. The various risk factors have been incorporated into effective risk assessment tools (eg, bone mineral density [BMD] testing and the World Health Organization's Fracture Risk Algorithm, or FRAX), which are discussed. The National Osteoporosis Foundation's recommendations for BMD testing for men and women, which provide a tool with which practitioners can evaluate bone status and to determine whether the patient may benefit from treatment, are also presented and discussed.