Hip fracture rates and bisphosphonate consumption in Spain. An ecologic study

Bisphosphonate Use and Hospitalization for Hip Fractures in Women: An Observational Population-Based Study in France

Bisphosphonates are widely used in the treatment of women at risk of osteoporotic hip fracture; however, the overall effectiveness of bisphosphonates in the prevention of osteoporotic fractures has not been studied in real life. To investigate whether the use of bisphosphonates in women aged 50 years and over is associated with a decrease in hospitalization for osteoporotic hip fractures, a historical prospective cohort study was conducted between 2009 and 2016 from a permanent representative sample consisting of 1/97 of the French health insurance beneficiaries. Bisphosphonate use was defined according to medication persistence and adherence regarding bisphosphonate dispensations. The primary outcome was the hospitalization rate for osteoporotic hip fracture. Among the 81,268 women included, 2005 were exposed to bisphosphonates. The median time of bisphosphonate exposure was 12 (IQR, 3–29) and 17 (IQR, 5–42) months for the persistence and adherence definitions, respectively. Exposure to bisphosphonates was not associated with a decrease in hospitalization for hip fracture: weighted HRadherence = 0.66 (95% CI, 0.33 to 1.33); HRpersistance = 0.77 (95% CI, 0.38 to 1.57). In real life, bisphosphonate use does not appear to reduce hospitalization for hip fractures, as to date, it is probably prescribed as primary prevention and for a duration too short to be effective.

Meta-analysis for the efficacy of bisphosphonates on hip fracture prevention

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bisphosphonates on preventing osteoporotic hip fracture in patients with or without prior major osteoporotic fracture. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (OSs) based on electronic health records were used to assess bisphosphonate efficacy and were searched using PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases. Eight RCT studies and 14 OSs were extracted from the studies and quantitatively combined by random-effects meta-analysis. The odds ratio (OR) for all hip fractures in RCTs of 0.66, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.55-0.79, was lower than that in the OSs (OR 0.83; CI 0.74-0.94). The OR in patients with prior fracture was significantly reduced by bisphosphonates in both RCTs and OSs. Conversely, significant fracture reduction was not apparent in patients without prior fracture. A moderate relationship between prior major fracture rates and OR in hip fractures was defined. In patients with an average age of over 80 years, similar results were confirmed. In this meta-analysis, the efficacy of bisphosphonates was significant in patients with prior major fracture, recommending to prescribe for such patients. Their effect in patients without prior fracture, in contrast, remains unclear.

Trends in Prescribing Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Bisphosphonates in Australia and Manitoba, Canada and Adherence to Recommendations

Background: Recommendations for using menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) and bisphosphonates for postmenopausal osteoporosis management have changed over time. After the release of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial results in 2002, new evidence on risks and benefits of MHT became available, and newer guidelines generally specify that MHT should not be prescribed for prevention of chronic disease, including osteoporosis. This raises the question of whether bisphosphonate prescribing changed over time to compensate for the decrease in MHT use. Materials and Methods: We examined trends in dispensed prescriptions in Australia (national) and Canada (province of Manitoba) in relation to prescribing recommendations. Administrative data were used to describe dispensing patterns and changes for persons of all ages from 1996 to 2008, and for women aged 50 to ≥80 years from 2003 to 2008 in Australia and 1996 to 2008 in Canada. Results: In both geographic settings, MHT dispensing increased 1996-2001, peaked in 2001, and declined substantially thereafter (67% reduction in MHT prescriptions for Australia; 64% reduction for Manitoba, Canada to 2008). From 2003 to 2008, the number of MHT prescriptions declined among all age groups in both settings, with the highest declines among women in their 50s. Concurrently, bisphosphonate dispensing increased until 2005 (2001-2005: 260% increase in the number of prescriptions in Australia; 125% increase in Manitoba) and stabilized thereafter, in both settings. Annual bisphosphonate dispensing rates increased 4.1-10.9% for women in their 70s and 80s in Australia and Manitoba during the period studied. Conclusions: Based on dispensed prescriptions data, more recent guidelines for MHT and bisphosphonates use for postmenopausal osteoporosis, which were updated during the study period (and are still consistent with the current guidelines), appear to have been broadly adhered to in both settings.

Changing rates in fracture trends are temporally associated with declining testing and treatment: reality or ecologic fallacy?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The changing patterns of osteoporosis treatment and fragility fractures have led to what leaders are calling a 'crisis in the osteoporosis.' We address data on changing patterns in fractures, and highlight strengths and limitations of recently published data.

RECENT FINDINGS

Declines in hip fracture rates have been shown in studies from around the world. However, recently, using national Medicare data, Michael Lewiecki and colleagues show a plateau in the decline of hip fracture incidence in the United States from 2012 to 2015. Population-based data is integral for evaluating temporal trends; however, researchers must consider the biases associated with them including: age effects, period effects, and cohort effects. Rosengren and colleagues conducted the most comprehensive evaluation of age, period, and birth cohort effects in their study of hip fracture trends from 1987 to 2010 in Denmark and Sweden, in which they identified changes in hip fracture rates based on age, period, and cohort effects.

SUMMARY

Recent findings show clear temporal trends in changing fracture rates. Studies, which evaluated these biases largely attribute increased hip fracture rates to various age, period, and cohort effects, highlighting the importance of appropriate screening and treatment.

A join point regression analysis of trends in mortality due to osteoporosis in Spain

Osteoporosis is a major health problem in terms of fracture probability and disability. The aim of this ecological study is to identify the temporal trends in osteoporosis mortality in Spain from 1999 to 2015. Data on the Spanish population and number of deaths due to osteoporosis were obtained from the Spanish National Institute for Statistics. Age-adjusted mortality rates were estimated. Join point regression was used to identify the years when changes in mortality s and annual percentage change in mortality rates took place. Women presented a greater mortality rate decrease (p < 0.001), though this mortality difference by sex was reduced by half at the end of the period. The higher the age, the faster the mortality rate declined in women, while no clear pattern could be identified in men. In women, significant changes in trends were identified in three age groups (50-54, 60-64 and 80-84 years old). A sustained decrease in osteoporosis-associated mortality was found in women aged 75-79 and ≥85 years and men aged 60-64. In conclusion, mortality caused by osteoporosis in Spain is decreasing faster in the older age ranges especially in women.

Addressing the Crisis in the Treatment of Osteoporosis: A Path Forward

Considerable data and media attention have highlighted a potential "crisis" in the treatment of osteoporosis. Specifically, despite the availability of several effective drugs to prevent fractures, many patients who need pharmacological therapy are either not being prescribed these medications or if prescribed a medication, are simply not taking it. Although there are many reasons for this "gap" in the treatment of osteoporosis, a major factor is physician and patient concerns over the risk of side effects, especially atypical femur fractures (AFFs) related to bisphosphonate (and perhaps other antiresorptive) drug therapy. In this perspective, we review the current state of undertreatment of patients at increased fracture risk and suggest possible short-, intermediate-, and long-term approaches to address patient concerns, specifically those related to AFF risk. We suggest improved patient and physician education on prodromal symptoms, extended femur scans using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to monitor patients on antiresorptive treatment, better identification of high-risk patients perhaps using geometrical parameters from DXA and other risk factors, and more research on pharmacogenomics to identify risk markers. Although not the only impediment to appropriate treatment of osteoporosis, concern over AFFs remains a major issue and one that needs to be resolved for effective dissemination of existing treatments to reduce fracture risk. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Hip fracture incidence in Japan: Estimates of new patients in 2012 and 25-year trends

We estimated the number of hip fracture patients in 2012 in Japan and investigated the trends in incidence during a 25-year period from 1987 to 2012. Despite the increasing number of patients, the incidence of hip fracture in both men and women aged 70-79 years showed the possibility of decline.

INTRODUCTION

The objectives of this study were to estimate the number of hip fracture patients in 2012, to investigate the trends in incidence during a 25-year period from 1987 to 2012, and to determine the regional differences in Japan.

METHODS

Data were collected through a nationwide survey based on hospitals by a mail-in survey. Hip fracture incidences by sex and age and standardized incidence ratios by region were calculated.

RESULTS

The estimated numbers of new hip fracture patients in 2012 were 175,700 in total (95 % CI 170,300-181,100), 37,600 (36,600-38,600) for men and 138,100 (134,300-141,900) for women. The incidence rates in both men and women aged 70-79 years were the lowest in the 20-year period from 1992 to 2012. The incidence was higher in western areas of Japan than that in eastern areas in both men and women; however, the difference in the incidence of hip fracture between western and eastern areas is becoming smaller.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the increasing number of new patients, the incidence of hip fracture in both men and women aged 70-79 years showed the possibility of decline. The exact reasons for this are unknown, but various drugs for improving bone mineral density or preventing hip fracture might have influenced the results. A decrease in the differences in nutrient intake levels might explain some of the change in regional differences in Japan.

Use of oral bisphosphonates in primary prevention of fractures in postmenopausal women: a population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To compare incidence of first osteoporotic fracture in two cohorts of postmenopausal women, one treated with bisphosphonates and the other only with calcium and vitamin D.

DESIGN

Retrospective population cohort study with paired matching based on data from electronic health records.

SETTING

Women aged 60 years and older in 2005, from 21 primary care centers in a healthcare region of Spain.

PARTICIPANTS

Two groups of women aged 60 years and older (n = 1208), prescribed either calcium and vitamin D (CalVitD) or bisphosphonates (BIPHOS) with or without calcium and vitamin D, were compared for the end point of first recorded osteoporotic-related fracture, with 5-years follow-up.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Incidence of first fracture: Vertebral fracture, osteoporosis with pathological fracture, fracture of the upper humeral epiphysis, fracture of the lower radial epiphysis, or femur fracture.

RESULTS

Estimated 10-year risk of fracture was 11.4% (95% confidence interval: 9.6 to 13.2), 11.8% (9.2 to 14.3) in the BIPHOS group and 11.1% (8.6 to 13.6) in the CalVitD group. No significant differences were found between groups in total fractures (Hazard ratio = 0.934 (0.67 to 1.31)) or location (vertebral, femoral, radial or humeral).

CONCLUSIONS

In postmenopausal women, bisphosphonates have not been shown to better decrease risk of first fracture compared with calcium and vitamin D therapy alone.

Secular trends in hip fractures worldwide: opposing trends East versus West

Despite wide variations in hip rates fractures worldwide, reasons for such differences are not clear. Furthermore, secular trends in the age-specific hip fracture rates are changing the world map of this devastating disease, with the highest rise projected to occur in developing countries. The aim of our investigation is to systematically characterize secular trends in hip fractures worldwide, examine new data for various ethnic groups in the United States, evidence for divergent temporal patterns, and investigate potential contributing factors for the observed change in their epidemiology. All studies retrieved through a complex Medline Ovid search between 1966 and 2013 were examined. For each selected study, we calculated the percent annual change in age-standardized hip fracture rates de-novo. Although occurring at different time points, trend breaks in hip fracture incidence occurred in most Western countries and Oceania. After a steep rise in age-adjusted rates in these regions, a decrease became evident sometimes between the mid-seventies and nineties, depending on the country. Conversely, the data is scarce in Asia and South America, with evidence for a continuous rise in hip fracture rates, with the exception of Hong-Kong and Taiwan that seem to follow Western trends. The etiologies of these secular patterns in both the developed and the developing countries have not been fully elucidated, but the impact of urbanization is at least one plausible explanation. Data presented here show close parallels between rising rates of urbanization and hip fractures across disparate geographic locations and cultures. Once the proportion of the urban population stabilized, hip fracture rates also stabilize or begin to decrease perhaps due to the influence of other factors such as birth cohort effects, changes in bone mineral density and BMI, osteoporosis medication use and/or lifestyle interventions such as smoking cessation, improvement in nutritional status and fall prevention.

Temporal trends in the incidence of osteoporotic fractures

Osteoporotic fractures are associated with excess mortality and decreased functional capacity and quality of life. Age-standardized incidence rates of fragility fractures, particularly of the hip and forearm, have been noted to be decreasing in the last decade across many countries with the notable exception of Asia. The causes for the observed changes in fracture risk have not been fully identified but are likely the result of multiple factors, including birth cohort and period effects, increasing obesity, and greater use of anti-osteoporosis medications. Changing rates of fragility fractures would be expected to have an important impact on the burden of osteoporosis.

A 12-year ecological study of hip fracture rates among older Taiwanese adults

Hip fracture rates in Taiwan are among the highest in the world. The aim of this study was to describe the trends of hip fracture hospitalizations among Taiwanese elderly (aged ≥ 65 years) and the trends of antiosteoporosis medication expenditure from 1999 to 2010. We conducted an ecological study using inpatient health care-utilization data from the Department of Health, and medication expenditure data from the IMS Health, Taiwan. The International Classification of Disease, Clinical Modification, 9th version, code 820 was used to identify hip fracture hospitalizations. Medications included alendronate, calcitonin, ibandronate, raloxifene, strontium ranelate, teriparatide, and zoledronic acid. Year 2010 was assigned as the reference point for age-standardized rates, currency exchange (to the US dollar), and discount rates. Over the 12-year study period, age-standardized hip fracture hospitalizations decreased by 2.7 % annually (p for trend < 0.001) for Taiwanese elders. The decline was more obvious among those aged ≥75 years (6.1 %). However, the number of hip fracture hospitalizations increased from 14,342 to 18,023. Total hospitalization costs increased by US$0.6 ± 0.2 million annually (p for trend = 0.002); however, the per capita costs decreased by US$23.0 ± 8.0 (p for trend = 0.017). The total medication expenditure increased 7.2-fold, from US$8.1 million to US$58.9 million, accounting for an increase in the overall pharmaceutical market by fivefold, from 3.4 to 15.9 ‰ (both p for trend < 0.001). From 1999 to 2010, there was a decline in hip fracture rates among elderly Taiwanese adults with a concomitant increase in antiosteoporosis medication expenditure.

Osteoporotic hip fractures: bisphosphonates sales and observed turning point in trend. A population-based retrospective study

The aim is to examine the temporal trends of hip fracture incidence in Portugal by sex and age groups, and explore the relation with anti-osteoporotic medication. From the National Hospital Discharge Database, we selected from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2008, 77,083 hospital admissions (77.4% women) caused by osteoporotic hip fractures (low energy, patients over 49years-age), with diagnosis codes 820.x of ICD 9-CM. The 2001 Portuguese population was used as standard to calculate direct age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR) (100,000 inhabitants). Generalized additive and linear models were used to evaluate and quantify temporal trends of age specific rates (AR), by sex. We identified 2003 as a turning point in the trend of ASIR of hip fractures in women. After 2003, the ASIR in women decreased on average by 10.3 cases/100,000 inhabitants, 95% CI (-15.7 to -4.8), per 100,000 anti-osteoporotic medication packages sold. For women aged 65-69 and 75-79 we identified the same turning point. However, for women aged over 80, the year 2004 marked a change in the trend, from an increase to a decrease. Among the population aged 70-74 a linear decrease of incidence rate (95% CI) was observed in both sexes, higher for women: -28.0% (-36.2 to -19.5) change vs -18.8%, (-32.6 to -2.3). The abrupt turning point in the trend of ASIR of hip fractures in women is compatible with an intervention, such as a medication. The trends were different according to gender and age group, but compatible with the pattern of bisphosphonates sales.