Osteoporosis is an important global health problem resulting in fragility fractures. The vertebrae are the commonest site of fracture resulting in extreme illness burden, and having the highest associated mortality. International studies show that vertebral fractures (VF) increase in prevalence with age, similarly in men and women, but differ across different regions of the world. Ireland has one of the highest rates of hip fracture in the world but data on vertebral fractures are limited. In this study we examined the prevalence of VF and associated major risk factors, using a sample of subjects who underwent vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) performed on 2 dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) machines. A total of 1296 subjects aged 40 years and older had a valid VFA report and DXA information available, including 254 men and 1042 women. Subjects had a mean age of 70 years, 805 (62%) had prior fractures, mean spine T-score was − 1.4 and mean total hip T-scores was − 1.2, while mean FRAX scores were 15.4% and 4.8% for major osteoporotic fracture and hip fracture, respectively. Although 95 (7%) had a known VF prior to scanning, 283 (22%) patients had at least 1 VF on their scan: 161 had 1, 61 had 2, and 61 had 3 or more. The prevalence of VF increased with age from 11.5% in those aged 40–49 years to > 33% among those aged ≥ 80 years. Both men and women with VF had significantly lower BMD at each measured site, and significantly higher FRAX scores, P < 0.01. These data suggest VF are common in high risk populations, particularly older men and women with low BMD, previous fractures, and at high risk of fracture. Urgent attention is needed to examine effective ways to identify those at risk and to reduce the burden of VF.

骨质疏松症是导致脆性骨折的重要全球健康问题。椎骨是导致极端疾病负担的最常见骨折部位，并且具有最高的相关死亡率。国际研究表明，椎体骨折 (VF) 的患病率随着年龄的增长而增加，男性和女性的情况相似，但在世界不同地区存在差异。爱尔兰是世界上髋部骨折发生率最高的国家之一，但关于椎骨骨折的数据有限。在这项研究中，我们使用在 2 台双能 X 射线骨密度仪 (DXA) 机器上进行椎体骨折评估 (VFA) 的受试者样本检查了 VF 的患病率和相关的主要危险因素。共有 1296 名 40 岁及以上的受试者拥有有效的 VFA 报告和 DXA 信息，其中包括 254 名男性和 1042 名女性。受试者的平均年龄为 70 岁，805 人 (62%) 曾有过骨折，平均脊柱 T 评分为 - 1.4，平均总髋关节 T 评分为 - 1.2，而主要骨质疏松症的平均 FRAX 评分为 15.4% 和 4.8%分别是骨折和髋部骨折。尽管 95 (7%) 人在扫描前有已知的 VF，但 283 (22%) 名患者在扫描时至少有 1 个 VF：161 人有 1 个，61 人有 2 个，61 人有 3 个或更多。VF 的患病率随着年龄的增长从 40-49 岁的 11.5% 增加到 80 岁以上的 > 33%。患有 VF 的男性和女性在每个测量部位的 BMD 显着降低，FRAX 评分显着升高，分别。尽管 95 (7%) 人在扫描前有已知的 VF，但 283 (22%) 名患者在扫描时至少有 1 个 VF：161 人有 1 个，61 人有 2 个，61 人有 3 个或更多。VF 的患病率随着年龄的增长从 40-49 岁的 11.5% 增加到 80 岁以上的 > 33%。患有 VF 的男性和女性在每个测量部位的 BMD 显着降低，FRAX 评分显着升高，分别。尽管 95 (7%) 人在扫描前有已知的 VF，但 283 (22%) 名患者在扫描时至少有 1 个 VF：161 人有 1 个，61 人有 2 个，61 人有 3 个或更多。VF 的患病率随着年龄的增长从 40-49 岁的 11.5% 增加到 80 岁以上的 > 33%。患有 VF 的男性和女性在每个测量部位的 BMD 显着降低，FRAX 评分显着升高，P  < 0.01。这些数据表明 VF 在高危人群中很常见，尤其是骨密度低、既往骨折和骨折风险高的老年男性和女性。迫切需要研究有效的方法来识别有风险的人并减轻 VF 的负担。