Dataset Information

Are women with thicker cortices in the femoral shaft at higher risk of subtrochanteric/diaphyseal fractures? The study of osteoporotic fractures.

ABSTRACT:

Context

Femoral shaft cortical thickening has been mentioned in reports of atypical subtrochanteric and diaphyseal (S/D) femur fractures, but it is unclear whether thickening precedes fracture or results from a preceding stress fracture and what role bisphosphonates might play in cortical thickening.

Objective

Our objective was to examine the relationship of cortical thickness to S/D fracture risk as well as establish normal reference values for femoral cortical thickness in a large population-based cohort of older women.

Design

Using pelvic radiographs obtained in 1986-1988, we measured femoral shaft cortical thickness 3 cm below the lesser trochanter in women in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. We measured this in a random sample and in those with S/D fractures and femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures. Low-energy S/D fractures were identified from review of radiographic reports obtained between 1986 and 2010. Radiographs to evaluate atypia were not available. Analysis used case-cohort, proportional hazards models.

Outcomes

Cortical thickness as a risk factor for low-energy S/D femur fractures as well as femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, adjusting for age and bone mineral density in proportional hazards models.

Results

After age adjustment, women with thinner medial cortices were at a higher risk of S/D femur fracture, with a relative hazard of 3.94 (95% confidence interval = 1.23-12.6) in the lowest vs. highest quartile. Similar hazard ratios were seen for femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures. Medial or total cortical thickness was more strongly related to fracture risk than lateral cortical thickness.

Conclusions

In primarily bisphosphonate-naive women, we found no evidence that thick femoral cortices placed women at higher risk for low-energy S/D femur fractures; in fact, the opposite was true. Women with thin cortices were also at a higher risk for femoral neck and intertrochanteric fractures. Whether cortical thickness among bisphosphonate users plays a role in atypical S/D fractures remains to be determined.

SUBMITTER: Napoli N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3387394 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Are women with thicker cortices in the femoral shaft at higher risk of subtrochanteric/diaphyseal fractures? The study of osteoporotic fractures.

Napoli Nicola N Jin Jenny J Peters Katherine K Wustrack Rosanna R Burch Shane S Chau Aldric A Cauley Jane J Ensrud Kristine K Kelly Michael M Black Dennis M DM

The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 20120430 7

<h4>Context</h4>Femoral shaft cortical thickening has been mentioned in reports of atypical subtrochanteric and diaphyseal (S/D) femur fractures, but it is unclear whether thickening precedes fracture or results from a preceding stress fracture and what role bisphosphonates might play in cortical thickening.<h4>Objective</h4>Our objective was to examine the relationship of cortical thickness to S/D fracture risk as well as establish normal reference values for femoral cortical thickness in a lar ...[more]

PMID: 22547423

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Project description:Osteoporosis is the consequence of altered bone metabolism resulting in the systemic reduction of bone strength and increased risk of fragility fractures. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression on a post-transcriptional level are known to take part in the control of bone formation and bone resorption. Recently, targeted secretion of miRNAs from cells originating from various tissues has been described, which allows for their minimal-invasive detection in serum/plasma and use as biomarkers for presence and progression of pathological conditions. One pilot study has reported circulating miRNAs in serum and tissue of fracture patients. However, further studies are required to explore whether a dysbalance in bone homeostasis of fracture patients can reliably be reflected by specific circulating miRNAs, and whether these miRNAs might serve as drugable targets. Here, we report results from a comprehensive multiplex study of 175 miRNAs in serum samples obtained from 7 patients with osteoporotic fractures at the femoral neck, and 7 age-matched controls. Following elaborate quality control statistical analysis of this exploratory dataset identified 9 microRNAs with altered serum levels in response to fracture (adjusted p-value < 0.1). Of these, hsa-miR-10a/b gave excellent discrimination of both groups (AUC = 1.0), and clustering of samples based on the top10 miRNAs confirmed the high discriminatory power of circulating microRNAs for osteoporotic fractures. In the next step 3 miRNAs with unknown roles in osteogenic differentiation and 4 miRNA from a previous study were tested for their effects on osteogenic differentiation. Of these, 3 miRNAs showed robust effects on osteogenic differentiation. Overall, these data provide important insights into changes in serum miRNA in post-traumatic patients. Future studies will show, whether this knowledge can be used to improve current diagnostic methodologies to predict fracture risk and design novel treatment strategies for osteoporosis patients. Two groups with n=7 per group; one groups represents cases with osteoporotic fractures, the control group is age-matched without fractures

Dataset Information

Are women with thicker cortices in the femoral shaft at higher risk of subtrochanteric/diaphyseal fractures? The study of osteoporotic fractures.

Context

Objective

Design

Outcomes

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Are women with thicker cortices in the femoral shaft at higher risk of subtrochanteric/diaphyseal fractures? The study of osteoporotic fractures.

Similar Datasets

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