Spinal Fractures In The Elderly Can Be Avoided With A Simple X-Ray Procedure, According To A New Study

Gothenburg: According to the study, an X-ray method should be made a normal operation in Swedish health care so that more senior individuals can be treated and given the most effective drugs on time.
Spinal Fracture compression is a condition in which the spine is compressed, resulting in a fracture in one of the vertebrae. Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are common in persons with osteoporosis, and they disproportionately impact older women.

The study confirms prior findings that 25% of elderly women aged 75 to 80 have VCFs. However, the vast majority are unaware that they are the source of their back discomfort; just one in every three is diagnosed. According to demographic figures from Statistics Sweden (SCB), at least 40,000 elderly women in Sweden are unaware they have VCFs.

Efforts to prevent fractures in the elderly vary across the country. There are established “fracture liaison services,” as they are known in Sweden, in some but not all locations. These ensure that fracture examinations are arranged in such a way that the likelihood of recurring fractures is considerably reduced. When older individuals have fractures, their hip and lumbar spine bone density is assessed using the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) method to determine whether they require osteoporosis treatment. DXA can then be used to obtain a side image of the chest and lumbar spine using a technique known as vertebral fracture assessment (VFA), which analyses the height of the vertebrae.

It should be a standard procedure.
The thesis demonstrates that VFA has significant clinical benefits, and the findings imply that the method should be implemented as a normal treatment in health care across the country.
“The VFA approach uses very little radiation and is quick, affordable, simple, and successful in detecting spinal compressions. It’s a useful way for detecting relevant compressions and enhances fracture risk assessment in elder women “Johansson explains.
The SUPERB (Sahlgrenska University Hospital Prospective Evaluation of Risk of Bone Fractures) population study comprised 3,028 women between the ages of 75 and 80 in Gothenburg. According to the study, women with VCFs had decreased hip bone density to a higher extent, as well as inferior physical functional capacity and health. Women with detectable spinal compression, even if slight, had a significantly higher fracture risk that was independent of other risk variables and bone density.