Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2009;68:99-102
CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Clinical subsequent fractures cluster in time after first fractures
1 Department of General Practice, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
2 Department of Trauma Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
3 Department of Internal Medicine, Subdivision of Rheumatology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
4 Biomedical Research Institute, University Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
5 Department of Methodology and Statistics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
T van Geel, Maastricht University, Department of General Practice, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands; t.vangeel{at}hag.unimaas.nl
Objectives: The risk of subsequent fractures is double the risk of having a first fracture. We analysed whether this risk is constant or not over time.
Methods: A population-based study in 4140 postmenopausal women, aged between 50 and 90 years, on radiographic confirmed clinical fractures from menopause onwards analysed by Cox regression.
Results: A total of 924 (22%) women had a first fracture and 243 (26% of 924) a subsequent fracture. Of all first fractures, 4% occurred in each year from menopause onwards, while after a first fracture 23% of all subsequent fractures occurred within 1 year and 54% within 5 years.
When calculated from time of first fracture, the relative risk (RR) of subsequent fracture was 2.1 (95% CI 1.7 to 2.6) and remained increased over 15 years. When calculated for specific time intervals after a first fracture, the RR was 5.3 (95% CI 4.0 to 6.6) within 1 year, 2.8 (95% CI 2.0 to 3.6) within 2–5 years, 1.4 (95% CI 1.0 to 1.8) within 6–10 years and 0.41 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.53) after >10 years.
Conclusions: From menopause onwards, clinical fractures cluster in time, indicating the need for early action to prevent subsequent fractures.
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
-
All Versions of this Article:
ard.2008.092775v1
68/1/99 most recent - Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- Citation Map
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
