Determinants of short term fracture risk in patients with a recent history of low-trauma non-vertebral fracture.

Low-trauma fractures tend to cluster in time, and subsequent fractures have a role in increased morbidity and mortality in osteoporotic patients. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors of short-term subsequent non-vertebral fracture (NVF). Patients were included from the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) which provides assessment for osteoporosis to all in-hospital patients admitted for a low-trauma NVF in the Orthopaedics department. Location and date of occurrence of previous fractures, risk factors for osteoporosis and falls were collected. Bone mineral density was measured at the lumbar spine and total hip; presence of vertebral fractures was evaluated using vertebral fracture assessment (VFA). Nine hundred and fifty patients were included (84% women; 75±12years), with a mean T-score at the femoral neck of -2.3±1.0. Four hundred and sixty eight (49%) patients were in the FLS because of a hip fracture. Using multivariable analysis, the risk of being in the FLS with a previous fracture ≤3years before was associated with: history of fall in the year before the admission (OR=2.75, CI 95% 1.55-4.93), history of severe low-trauma NVF (OR=2.54; CI 95% 1.45-4.52), and BMI lower than 20kg/m2 (OR=2.45, CI 95% 1.25-4.87); age older than 78years-old was protective to the risk of re-fracture (OR=0.44, CI 95% 0.24-0.80). Some risk factors (age, history of fall and of previous severe non-vertebral fracture) can help in the selection of patients at high risk of refracture, who should receive the highest priority for a treatment.