Risk of Recurrent Fracture: A Population-Based Study

Fracture prevalence in children diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Generalized Joint Hypermobility

BACKGROUND

There is limited understanding of the hypothesized association between the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS), hypermobility and fractures in children. Despite this, EDS and hypermobility continue to be raised in the legal setting as possible causes of unexplained fractures in infants where there is a concern for physical abuse. Further understanding is needed regarding fractures in children with EDS and hypermobility.

OBJECTIVE

This study assessed fracture prevalence and characteristics in children diagnosed with EDS and Generalized Joint Hypermobility (GJH). The secondary outcome was fracture prevalence in infants <1 year of age.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Children aged <18 years with EDS or GJH seen in a single-center EDS clinic from April 2017 to December 2021 were included. Diagnoses were based on the 2017 international classification. Exclusion criteria were concurrent medical conditions associated with bone fragility.

METHODS

This retrospective descriptive study examined variables including fracture history, fracture location, fracture type, age of sustaining fracture, and injury mechanism. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis.

RESULTS

Fracture prevalence was 34.6 % (9/26, 95 % CI [16.3, 52.9]) in the EDS population and 25.4 % (15/59, 95 % CI [14.3, 36.5]) in the GJH population. No fractures occurred in infancy. Most fractures occurred in the limbs. There were no rib or skull fractures. Most fractures were the result of an identifiable injury event.

CONCLUSION

In a cohort of children with formally diagnosed EDS or GJH, fractures occurred commonly in ambulatory children and generally in the limbs from identifiable events. This study does not support EDS or GJH as a cause of fractures in infancy.

Is repeated childhood fracture related to areal bone density or body composition in middle age?

Childhood fracture is common, but whether it predicts adult fracture is not clear. Repeat childhood fracture was associated with adult (≤ 45 years) fracture, and in women, lower areal bone density was associated with repeat childhood fracture. Identifying fracture-prone children can modify adult fracture risk management.

INTRODUCTION

A quarter of boys and 15% of girls will suffer multiple fractures, but it is not clear whether multiple fractures during growth predict fracture risk and areal bone density in adulthood. This study evaluated whether children who repeatedly fracture were at increased risk of low areal bone density, abnormal body composition, and fractures by age 45.

METHODS

A subsample of a large birth cohort study with childhood fracture cases had areal bone density assessed at age 45 years. Participants were questioned regularly across their lifetime about fractures during childhood (ages 0-18 years of age) and adulthood (any fracture between 18 and 45 years). The number of fractures was collapsed into three categories: no fractures; 1 fracture; and > 1 fracture, separately for child and adult groups.

RESULTS

At age 45 years, areal bone mineral density (g/cm2) and body composition were measured with dual X-ray absorptiometry in n = 555 participants. Compared to no fractures, twice as many girls (14% vs 7%, P = 0.156) and boys (31.4% vs 14.1%, P = 0.004) who repeatedly fractured in childhood sustained multiple fractures as adults. Both girls and boys who were fracture-free tended to remain fracture-free as adults (79.8% compared with 62.8%, P = 0.045, and 64.8% compared with 51.4%, P = 0.025, in males and females, respectively). Participants were more than twice as likely to fracture repeatedly as adults if they had sustained multiple fractures as a child (OR 2.5 95% CI: 1.4, 4.6). Women who repeatedly fractured during childhood had lower areal bone density, whereas repeated fracturing during childhood was not associated with areal bone density or body composition in men, even after adjustment for other factors known to influence fracture history.

CONCLUSION

Childhood fracture history is associated with persistent skeletal fragility in adulthood (≤ 45 years), even after adjustment for behavioral and demographic factors known to influence fracture history.

A cross-sectional study of the relationship between recreational sporting activity and calcaneal bone density in adolescents and young adults

OBJECTIVE

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods of bone development. Sporting activity is thought to impact peak bone mass acquisition, but most studies have used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess bone health and reported associations between bone mass and elite sporting activity. The objective of this study was instead to assess the relationship between recreational sporting activity (RSA) and another bone assessment, calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (cQUS), in adolescents and young adults.

METHODS

We related recreational sporting activity, assessed through a lifestyle questionnaire, to heel ultrasound bone parameters in a cohort of New Zealand students aged 16-35 years. Complete datasets with data on all relevant confounders (body mass index (BMI), pubertal timing, smoking status, and alcohol consumption) were available for 452 participants. cQUS was performed using a Lunar Achilles EX II machine to obtain bone parameters, broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA), and speed of sound (SOS); stiffness index (SI) was derived from these measures. All descriptive statistics and statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS Statistics for Macintosh, Version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results are presented as p-values and 95% CI.

RESULTS

Reported lifetime sport participation declined after an individual's mid-teens. Bone cQUS parameters (SI and BUA and T-score) were all positively associated with BMI, and current physical activity (SI, SOS, BUA, T-score, and Z-score) with SI and SOS measures most strongly associated with current high impact and past recreational sporting activity (all p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Calcaneal heel ultrasound bone parameters were associated with physical activity, with SI and SOS rather than BUA more strongly related to current and past recreational sporting activity in young New Zealand adults.