The epidemiology of wrist fractures in older men: the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study

Muscle parameters in fragility fracture risk prediction in older adults: A scoping review

Half of osteoporotic fractures occur in patients with normal/osteopenic bone density or at intermediate or low estimated risk. Muscle measures have been shown to contribute to fracture risk independently of bone mineral density. The objectives were to review the measurements of muscle health (muscle mass/quantity/quality, strength and function) and their association with incident fragility fractures and to summarize their use in clinical practice. This scoping review follows the PRISMA-ScR guidelines for reporting. Our search strategy covered the three overreaching concepts of 'fragility fractures', 'muscle health assessment' and 'risk'. We retrieved 14 745 references from Medline Ovid SP, EMBASE, Web of Science Core Collection and Google Scholar. We included original and prospective studies on community-dwelling adults aged over 50 years that analysed an association between at least one muscle parameter and incident fragility fractures. We systematically extracted 17 items from each study, including methodology, general characteristics and results. Data were summarized in tables and graphically presented in adjusted forest plots. Sixty-seven articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In total, we studied 60 muscle parameters or indexes and 322 fracture risk ratios over 2.8 million person-years (MPY). The median (interquartile range) sample size was 1642 (921-5756), age 69.2 (63.5-73.6) years, follow-up 10.0 (4.4-12.0) years and number of incident fragility fractures 166 (88-277). A lower muscle mass was positively/not/negatively associated with incident fragility fracture in 28 (2.0), 64 (2.5) and 10 (0.2 MPY) analyses. A lower muscle strength was positively/not/negatively associated with fractures in 53 (1.3), 57 (1.7 MPY) and 0 analyses. A lower muscle function was positively/not/negatively associated in 63 (1.9), 45 (1.0 MPY) and 0 analyses. An in-depth analysis shows how each single muscle parameter was associated with each fragility fractures subtype. This review summarizes markers of muscle health and their association with fragility fractures. Measures of muscle strength and function appeared to perform better for fracture risk prediction. Of these, hand grip strength and gait speed are likely to be the most practical measures for inclusion in clinical practice, as in the evaluation of sarcopenia or in further fracture risk assessment scores. Measures of muscle mass did not appear to predict fragility fractures and might benefit from further research, on D3-creatine dilution test, lean mass indexes and artificial intelligence methods.

Relation between the dash score and radiographic evaluation of the wrist in patients with wrist fracture

Traditionally, the assessment of distal radius fracture outcomes has been based on radiological measurements and self-evaluation scores. However, there is uncertainty regarding how accurately these measurements reflect the patient's perception of their outcome. In this study, we examined the correlation between radiological measurements and patient-perceived outcomes using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand outcome (DASH) score. 140 individuals who had recovered from a distal radius fracture. and had been treated with DVR, Kapandji, percutaneous pinning or closed reduction were included in the study. The retrospective assessment included 78 females and 62 males, with a mean DASH score of 3.54 points.Except for the ulnar variance, the study found little to no significant association between the DASH score and the final radiological measurement.In summary, the DASH score did not always indicate that a superior radiological result translated into a better patient-perceived outcome.

Testosterone Treatment and Fractures in Men with Hypogonadism

BACKGROUND

Testosterone treatment in men with hypogonadism improves bone density and quality, but trials with a sufficiently large sample and a sufficiently long duration to determine the effect of testosterone on the incidence of fractures are needed.

METHODS

In a subtrial of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that assessed the cardiovascular safety of testosterone treatment in middle-aged and older men with hypogonadism, we examined the risk of clinical fracture in a time-to-event analysis. Eligible men were 45 to 80 years of age with preexisting, or high risk of, cardiovascular disease; one or more symptoms of hypogonadism; and two morning testosterone concentrations of less than 300 ng per deciliter (10.4 nmol per liter), in fasting plasma samples obtained at least 48 hours apart. Participants were randomly assigned to apply a testosterone or placebo gel daily. At every visit, participants were asked if they had had a fracture since the previous visit. If they had, medical records were obtained and adjudicated.

RESULTS

The full-analysis population included 5204 participants (2601 in the testosterone group and 2603 in the placebo group). After a median follow-up of 3.19 years, a clinical fracture had occurred in 91 participants (3.50%) in the testosterone group and 64 participants (2.46%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 1.97). The fracture incidence also appeared to be higher in the testosterone group for all other fracture end points.

CONCLUSIONS

Among middle-aged and older men with hypogonadism, testosterone treatment did not result in a lower incidence of clinical fracture than placebo. The fracture incidence was numerically higher among men who received testosterone than among those who received placebo. (Funded by AbbVie and others; TRAVERSE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03518034.).

Do Surgeons Accurately Predict Level of Activity in Patients With Distal Radius Fractures?

PURPOSE

One factor influencing the management of distal radius fractures is the functional status of the patient. The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement between patient and surgeon assessments of patient activity level in patients sustaining a distal radius fracture.

METHODS

Ninety-seven patients were included, with a mean age of 58.5 years (range, 18-92 years). Patients completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, a validated survey that provides a score of low, moderate, or high activity levels. Treating surgeons provided an independent assessment using the same scale. Agreement between patient and surgeon assessments was evaluated using a weighted kappa-statistic, with a secondary analysis using logistic regression models to assess odds of surgical treatment.

RESULTS

Interrater agreement between surgeons and patients demonstrated only "fair" agreement, with a kappa-statistic of 0.33. Predictive models showed that surgeons accurately identified 73% of "high activity" patients but failed to correctly identify more than 41% of patients rated as "moderate activity" or "low activity." There was a correlation between surgical intervention and increasing physical activity status as assessed by the surgeon; however, the magnitude of this effect was unclear (odds ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-4.30). This relationship was no longer significant after adjusting for age, Charlson comorbidity index, and fracture class. There was no association between surgical intervention and physical activity status when using the status provided by the patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgeon assessment of patient activity level does not have strong agreement with patients' independent assessment. Surgeons are most accurate at identifying "high activity level" patients but lack the ability to identify "moderate activity level" or "low activity level" patients.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Recognition of surgeon assessment of patient activity level as flawed can stimulate improved dialog between patients and physicians, ultimately improving the shared decision-making process.

Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Fractures: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

Alcohol consumption remains inconsistently correlated with fracture risk, and a dose-response meta-analysis for specific outcomes is lacking. The objective of this study was to quantitatively integrate the data on the relationship between alcohol consumption and fracture risk. Pertinent articles were identified in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases up to 20 February 2022. Combined RRs and 95% CIs were estimated by random- or fixed-effects models. Restricted cubic splines were used to model linear or nonlinear relationships. Forty-four articles covering 6,069,770 participants and 205,284 cases of fracture were included. The combined RRs and 95% CIs for highest compared with lowest alcohol consumption were 1.26 (1.17-1.37), 1.24 (1.13-1.35), and 1.20 (1.03-1.40) for total, osteoporotic, and hip fractures, respectively. A linear positive relationship between alcohol consumption and total fracture risk was detected (Pnonlinearity = 0.057); the risk was correlated with a 6% increase (RR, 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.10) per 14 g/d increment of alcohol consumption. J-shaped relationships of alcohol consumption with risk of osteoporotic fractures (Pnonlinearity < 0.001) and hip fractures (Pnonlinearity < 0.001) were found. Alcohol consumption of 0 to 22 g/d was linked to a reduced risk of osteoporotic fractures and hip fractures. Our findings show that any level of alcohol consumption is a risk factor for total fractures. Moreover, this dose-response meta-analysis shows that an alcohol consumption level of 0 to 22 g/d is related to a reduction in the risk of osteoporotic and hip fractures. The protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42022320623).

The clinician's guide to prevention and treatment of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease in the USA and the world. It is a subclinical condition until complicated by fracture(s). These fractures place an enormous medical and personal burden on individuals who suffer from them and take a significant economic toll. Any new fracture in an adult aged 50 years or older signifies imminent elevated risk for subsequent fractures, particularly in the year following the initial fracture. What a patient perceives as an unfortunate accident may be seen as a sentinel event indicative of bone fragility and increased future fracture risk even when the result of considerable trauma. Clinical or subclinical vertebral fractures, the most common type of osteoporotic fractures, are associated with a 5-fold increased risk for additional vertebral fractures and a 2- to 3-fold increased risk for fractures at other sites. Untreated osteoporosis can lead to a vicious cycle of recurrent fracture(s), often resulting in disability and premature death. In appropriate patients, treatment with effective antifracture medication prevents fractures and improves outcomes. Primary care providers and medical specialists are critical gatekeepers who can identify fractures and initiate proven osteoporosis interventions. Osteoporosis detection, diagnosis, and treatment should be routine practice in all adult healthcare settings. The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) - formerly the National Osteoporosis Foundation - first published the Clinician's Guide in 1999 to provide accurate information on osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Since that time, significant improvements have been made in diagnostic technologies and treatments for osteoporosis. Despite these advances, a disturbing gap persists in patient care. At-risk patients are often not screened to establish fracture probability and not educated about fracture prevention. Most concerning, the majority of highest risk women and men who have a fracture(s) are not diagnosed and do not receive effective, FDA-approved therapies. Even those prescribed appropriate therapy are unlikely to take the medication as prescribed. The Clinician's Guide offers concise recommendations regarding prevention, risk assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and men aged 50 years and older. It includes indications for bone densitometry as well as fracture risk thresholds for pharmacologic intervention. Current medications build bone and/or decrease bone breakdown and dramatically reduce incident fractures. All antifracture therapeutics treat but do not cure the disease. Skeletal deterioration resumes sooner or later when a medication is discontinued-sooner for nonbisphosphonates and later for bisphosphonates. Even if normal BMD is achieved, osteoporosis and elevated risk for fracture are still present. The diagnosis of osteoporosis persists even if subsequent DXA T-scores are above - 2.5. Ongoing monitoring and strategic interventions will be necessary if fractures are to be avoided. In addition to pharmacotherapy, adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D, avoidance of smoking and excessive alcohol intake, weight-bearing and resistance-training exercise, and fall prevention are included in the fracture prevention armamentarium. Where possible, recommendations in this guide are based on evidence from RCTs; however, relevant published data and guidance from expert clinical experience provides the basis for recommendations in those areas where RCT evidence is currently deficient or not applicable to the many osteoporosis patients not considered for RCT participation due to age and morbidity.

Prevalence, Characteristics, and Associated Risk Factors of Wrist Fractures in Americans Above 50: The Cross-Sectional NHANES Study

SUMMARY

By analyzing data from NHANES, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence, characteristics, and associated factors of wrist fractures in Americans aged 50 and above.

INTRODUCTION

Wrist fractures, whose prevalence increases with age, are one of the most common fractures in the United States. However, epidemiological studies on the prevalence of wrist fractures of certain ages were limited.

METHODS

The data of Americans aged 50 or above from 2013-2014 and 2017-2018 in NHANES were extracted and analyzed.

RESULTS

The prevalence of wrist fractures among Americans whose age was 50 or above was 12%, which was similar between men and women (men 12.8% vs. women 11.4%, p = 0.267). Among those who had experienced their first wrist fracture, 17.8% of the population experienced a second wrist fracture. The top two causes of the first wrist fracture were a fall from a standing height (56%) or a hard fall (34.8%). The prevalence of wrist fractures was higher in men than in women (13.7% versus 8.7%, p = 0.023) aged < 60, but higher in women than in men aged ≥ 60 (11.8% versus 14.3%, p = 0.007). Multivariate analysis showed that obesity, frequent drinking, current smoking, high serum phosphate level, non-Hispanic white women, and osteoporosis were independently associated with wrist fractures. Stratified by race, osteoporosis, frequent drinking, and high serum phosphate level were risk factors for wrist fractures in all races. As for Mexican Americans, non-Hispanic whites, and other races including multi-racial, current smoking was a risk factor of wrist factures. Furthermore, obesity was positively associated with wrist fractures in Mexican Americans, other Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of wrist fractures in Americans aged 50 and above was 12%. Falling from a standing height was the main cause of the first wrist fracture. Frequent drinking, current smoker, high serum phosphate level, osteoporosis, obesity, and non-Hispanic women were more likely to experience wrist fractures.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies on the association between alcohol intake and risk of fracture

Previous studies on the association between alcohol intake and risk of fracture have reached conflicting findings. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies was to summarize earlier studies on the association of alcohol intake with risk of fracture. A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science was conducted up to November 2020. Prospective cohort studies that had considered alcohol consumption as the exposure variable and fracture as the main outcome or as one of the outcome variables were included in this systematic review. Publications in which odds ratios (ORs), rate or risk ratios (RRs), or hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported, were included in the meta-analysis. In total, 40 prospective cohort studies including 5,084,303 participants and 170,916 subjects with fracture were included in this systematic review; of them 38 studies with a total sample size of 5,053,117 participants and 169,560 cases of fracture were included in the meta-analysis. Using a random-effects meta-analysis, we found a significant positive association between alcohol consumption and risk of total fractures (RR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.81) and any fractures (RR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.38). However, no significant association was observed between alcohol intake and risk of hip fractures (RR: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.48), osteoporotic fractures (RR: 2.01; 95% CI: 0.76, 5.34), vertebral fractures (RR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.68, 1.40), and wrist fractures (RR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.85, 1.16). In conclusion, we found that alcohol consumption was positively associated with risk of total fractures and any fractures. However, we did not observe any significant association between alcohol consumption and risk of hip, osteoporotic, vertebral, and wrist fractures.

Radiographic osteoporotic vertebral fractures in elderly men: a brief review focusing on differences between the sexes

Bone loss occurs in both sexes as a result of ageing but is exacerbated in women by the hormonal changes associated with menopause. Unlike in women, secondary osteoporosis occurs in almost half of men diagnosed with osteoporosis. Moreover, vertebral fractures (VFs) seen in elderly men may more likely be the result of high energy trauma. The osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) radiograph diagnosis criteria for women may not be directly applicable for men. Particular attention should be paid to the mid-thoracic level where over-diagnosis commonly occurs. For wedge-shaped vertebral deformities (VDs) or VDs with anterior height reduction only, a diagnosis of OVF requires great caution, as they are poorly correlated to bone mineral density (BMD). For age-matched subjects, it is likely that elderly men's prevalent radiographic OVFs are approximately half of the elderly women's. This male-female ratio is very similar to other clinical fractures such as those occurring at the hip. Even so, the clinical relevance of OVF in elderly men may be less than that of elderly women. On the other hand, for elderly men with hip BMD-based osteoporosis, the OVF risk is as high as that of osteoporotic women. Elderly Chinese men have a lower OVF prevalence than age-matched Caucasian men.

Clinical Application of Teriparatide in Fracture Prevention: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Teriparatide, a 1-34 fragment of parathyroid hormone (PTH) that maintains most of the biological activities of PTH, has been employed since 2002 as an anabolic agent for osteoporotic individuals who are at high risk of fracture. The purpose of the present review is to provide a systematic summary and timely update on treatment with teriparatide for fracture prevention.

METHODS

Electronic databases, including OVID MEDLINE, OVID Embase, and the Cochrane Library, were searched on February 9, 2018, to identify published systematic reviews and meta-analyses addressing treatment with teriparatide for fracture prevention, and A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR 2) was used to assess the quality of included studies.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies were included. Of the 17 eligible studies, 3 were rated as high quality, 3 were rated as moderate quality, 6 were rated as low quality, and 5 were rated as critically low quality. Teriparatide reduced vertebral and overall nonvertebral fractures in osteoporotic patients regardless of the existence of precipitating conditions, including postmenopausal status, glucocorticoid treatment, and chronic kidney disease, as compared with placebo, but not the site-specific nonvertebral fractures of the wrist and hip. Teriparatide did not more effectively reduce fracture risks when compared with other medications, such as bisphosphonates, selective estrogen receptor modulators, RANKL (receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-beta ligand) inhibitor, or strontium ranelate.

CONCLUSIONS

Teriparatide was safe and was not associated with an increased rate of adverse events when compared with other drugs. Teriparatide was effective for the prevention of vertebral and overall nonvertebral fractures in osteoporotic patients but not for the prevention of site-specific nonvertebral fractures at the wrist and hip.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Increased risk of dementia after distal radius, hip, and spine fractures

This study aimed to evaluate the risk of dementia after distal radius, hip, and spine fractures.Data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort were collected for the population ≥ 60 years of age from 2002 to 2013. A total of 10,387 individuals with dementia were matched for age, sex, income, region of residence, and history of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia with 41,548 individuals comprising the control group. Previous histories of distal radius, hip, and spine fractures were evaluated in both the dementia and control groups. Using ICD-10 codes, dementia (G30 and F00) and distal radius (S525), hip (S720, S721, and S722), and spine (S220 and S320) fractures were investigated. The crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of dementia in distal radius, hip, and spine fracture patients were analyzed using conditional logistic regression analyses. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age, sex and region of residence.The adjusted ORs for dementia were higher in the distal radius, hip, and spine fracture group than in the non-fracture group (adjusted OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.10 -1.37, P < .001 for distal radius fracture; adjusted OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.48 - 1.83, P < .001 for hip fracture; adjusted OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.22 - 1.41, P < .001 for spine fracture). The results in subgroup analyses according to age, sex and region of residence were consistent.Distal radius, hip, and spine fractures increase the risk of dementia.

Femoral stress is prominently associated with fracture risk in children: The Generation R Study

Bone modeling is an important process in the growing skeleton. An inadequate bone modeling in response to mechanical loads would lead some children to develop weaker bones than others. The resulting higher stresses in the bones would render them more susceptible to fracture. We aimed to examine the association between femoral stress (FS) derived from structural parameters and BMD in relation to incident fractures in children. Bone stress was evaluated at the medial femoral neck, a skeletal site subject to large forces during normal locomotion. This study comprises 1840 children from the Generation R Study, with whole body and hip DXA scans at a mean age of 6.01 years. Hip structural analysis (HSA) was used to measure femur geometry for the FS calculation. Data on fractures occurring over the following 4 years after the DXA assessment were obtained by questionnaire. Incident fracture was observed in 7.6% of the participating children. Cox-multivariate regression analysis, described as hazard ratios (HR), showed that after adjustment for sex, ethnicity, age, weight and lean mass fraction, there was a significant increase in the risk of incident fracture for every standard deviation (SD) decrease in total body BMD (HR: 1.35, 95% CI 1.05-1.74, p-value = 0.021), femoral neck BMD (HR: 1.31, 95% CI 1.09-1.58, p-value = 0.005) and narrow neck BMD (HR: 1.39, 95% CI 1.14-1.68, p-value = 0.001). Whereas, every increment of one SD in femoral stress resulted in 1.33 increased risk of incident fractures (HR: 1.33, 95% CI 1.13-1.57, p-value = 0.001). This association remained (borderline) significant after the adjustment for DXA derived BMD measurements. Our results show that increased bone stress may underlie greater susceptibility to traumatic fractures in children (partially independent of BMD) and underscore the utility of hip DXA scans for the assessment of paediatric bone health and specifically fracture risk.

Innovative Biomaterials for Bone Regrowth

The regenerative medicine, a new discipline that merges biological sciences and the fundamental of engineering to develop biological substitutes, has greatly benefited from recent advances in the material engineering and the role of stem cells in tissue regeneration. Regenerative medicine strategies, involving the combination of biomaterials/scaffolds, cells, and bioactive agents, have been of great interest especially for the repair of damaged bone and bone regrowth. In the last few years, the life expectancy of our population has progressively increased. Aging has highlighted the need for intervention on human bone with biocompatible materials that show high performance for the regeneration of the bone, efficiently and in a short time. In this review, the different aspects of tissue engineering applied to bone engineering were taken into consideration. The first part of this review introduces the bone cellular biology/molecular genetics. Data on biomaterials, stem cells, and specific growth factors for the bone regrowth are reported in this review.