gms | German Medical Science

Objectives/Interrogation: Osteoporosis is a devastating problem leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Patients usually present with fractures from low-energy trauma and falls, which may precede more severe fractures like a fracture of the neck of femur.

The distal radius is one of the common fracture sites in osteoporosis patients but data from Thailand are limited. We aimed to determine the prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with distal radius fracture from low-energy trauma.

Methods: This was a descriptive retrospective study, performed at our institution from January 2011 to June 2017. Patients aged ≥50 years with distal radial fractures from low-energy trauma and a bone mineral density result were included. Patients with known secondary causes of osteoporosis were excluded. Patients were grouped by age, sex, and bone mineral density status (normal, osteopenic and osteoporotic).

Results and Conclusions: 100 of 351 patients had bone mineral density data but 79 (73 females) met the inclusion criteria. Most patients were aged 60-69 years old (n=31, 42.5%). 47 (59.5%) patients were osteoporotic, 23 (29.1%) osteopenic, and 9 (11.4%) were normal (Table 1 [Tab. 1] and Table 2 [Tab. 2]). 7 (6 osteoporotic) patients suffered a subsequent more severe fracture. No deaths were recorded.

Our small study found a high rate of osteoporosis in mostly females, consistent with the published literature. Assessing bone mineral density is an essential investigation in middle age/elderly patients with fractures to better manage osteoporosis and prevent more severe fractures in the future.