Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) are common in elderly patients with reduced bone density. Pain and loss of function after fractures have a serious impact on the patient's activities of daily living and quality of life. Management of patients with early OVCFs who choose non-surgical treatment is necessary to prevent complications, relieve pain, and improve functional status. This paper focuses on the development of OVCFs non-surgical management in many aspects, which may provide reference for the rapid recovery of OVCFs patients in the process of non-surgical management.
Objective To analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics of inpatients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) and provide a basis for clinical prevention and treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 744 inpatients diagnosed with OVCF between January 2017 and December 2021, who met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 146 were male and 598 were female, with ages ranging from 50 to 95 years (mean, 69.37 years). The demographic characteristics (gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, regional distribution, urban-rural distribution, and seasonal incidence) and clinical features [causes of injury, history of vertebral fractures, smoking and drinking history in males, comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, cerebral infarction), body mass index (BMI), blood lipid levels, menopausal age in females, vertebral bone mineral density T-value, number of vertebral fractures, and fracture segment distribution] of OVCF patients were analyzed. Furthermore, correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify potential factors influencing osteoporosis. Results The demographic analysis indicated that female patients with OVCF were significantly younger than male patients (P<0.05). Significant differences were observed in the age distribution of OVCF between males and females (P<0.05), with the highest proportion of male patients in the 70-79 years group (37.0%) and the highest proportion of female patients in the 60-69 years group (40.0%). From 2017 to 2021, the age of onset for OVCF gradually increased, with a similar trend observed for both genders. The distribution of occupations between genders also showed significant differences (P<0.05); with the top three occupations for males being farmers (48.6%), retirees (24.7%), and workers (13.7%), while for females, the leading occupations were farmers (51.5%), retirees (19.4%), and service workers (10.0%). Female OVCF patients had higher BMI, vertebral bone mineral density T-value, history of vertebral fractures, hypertension prevalence, and blood lipid levels compared to male patients (P<0.05). No significant differences between the males and the females were found in ethnicity, seasonal distribution, regional distribution, urban-rural distribution, causes of injury, number of vertebral fractures, or prevalence of comorbidities (except hypertension) (P>0.05). Among the 744 OVCF patients, a total of 1 309 vertebrae were involved, with 628 thoracic vertebrae (48.0%) and 681 lumbar vertebrae (52.0%). The most common fracture segments were L1 (22.5%), T12 (21.2%), followed by L2 (12.2%) and T11 (10.2%). No significant gender differences were observed in the distribution of fracture segments (P>0.05). Correlation analysis showed that smoking and drinking history in males, and menopausal age in females, were not correlated with vertebral bone mineral density T-value (P>0.05). A history of vertebral fractures was positively correlated with the number of fractures (P<0.05), and vertebral bone mineral density T-value were negatively correlated with the number of fractures (P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that older age, female, and lower BMI were independent risk factors for vertebral osteoporosis (P<0.05). ConclusionThe age of onset of OVCF patients is increasing year by year. The number of fractured vertebral bodies, age distribution of morbidity, occupational distribution, BMI, history of vertebral fracture, hypertension, and blood lipid levels are related to gender. The occurrence of OVCF is mainly in the thoracolumbar segment. The female, older age, and lower BMI are independent risk factors of osteoporosis.