Investigators in Japan shed light on the long-term effects of vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) on patient outcomes. As they note, the incidence of these fragility fractures continues to increase globally as the population ages. While many patients have satisfactory clinical outcomes, others may experience persistent and disabling pain.
“Although VCFs can have a substantial impact on the patients’ quality of life and care dependency, the long-term impact of VCFs in a real-world setting has been investigated in few studies,” Honda et al. write. Their report is now available at JBJS.org, along with a video abstract of their findings:
In this retrospective cohort study, the authors evaluated medical claims data of 18,392 patients (mean age of 80 years, 76% women) in the greater Tokyo area. Patients received a diagnosis of a VCF between June 2014 and February 2019.
Study Findings
- 19.7% of the patients were care-dependent at the time of VCF diagnosis.
- Overall, 5.3% of the patients died within 1 year.
- Among those who received analgesics (8,375 patients), 22% required analgesics for >4 months and 8.2% required treatment for ≥1 year.
Risk factors associated with prolonged analgesic use (>1 year):
- Female sex
- VCFs in the thoracolumbar or lumbar region
Changes in care needs:
- 8.2% of patients had an increase in care needs within 1 year of VCF diagnosis.
- Of note, patients who were care-dependent at the time of diagnosis had a tenfold higher risk of functional decline vs. those who had been independent.
The authors conclude, “Individuals with preexisting care dependency were more likely to experience functional decline following VCFs than those who were independent, which underscores the need for intensive and appropriate allocation of health-care resources to care-dependent patients.”
Access the full study along with a video abstract at JBJS.org:
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