03 Aug Subclinical Spine Fractures Predict Hip Fractures

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Pim A de Jong
Heidelberglaan 100, E01.1A32, 3508 GA Utrecht, the Netherlands

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?

Answer: We observed that patients with a vertebral fracture on a routine clinical chest computed tomography exam had a tripled risk of future hip fracture after adjustment for age and gender.

MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?

Answer: The findings confirm our hypothesis that fragility fractures in the spine associate with fragile bones at other locations in the body; in our study the hip.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Answer: Subclinical fractures of the spine do predict future fractures in the hip.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Answer: A future study should investigate whether hip and other fractures can be prevented in patients with a subclinical fracture of the spine on a routine computed tomography exam that was requested for an unrelated indication.

Citation:

Prevalent vertebral fractures on chest CT: Higher risk for future hip fracture.
Buckens C, de Jong P, Mali W, Verhaar H, van der Graaf Y, Verkooijen H.
Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care; Radiology department of the University Medical Centre Utrecht.
J Bone Miner Res. 2013 Jul 2. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2028. [Epub ahead of print]

Last Updated on August 3, 2013 by Marie Benz MD FAAD