Risk factors of osteoporotic vertebral fracture cascade and the relationship between blood glucose control and fracture occurrence

BackgroundAs the world's population ages, osteoporotic fractures have become a growing medical, social and economic problem.ObjectiveVertebral fractures (VFs) are the most common osteoporotic fractures and are a strong risk factor for subsequent VFs, leading to VF cascade (VFC). This study aimed to identify potential causes of and risk factors for VFC. At the same time, the factors influencing the time between fractures in patients with osteoporotic VFC were examined.MethodsWe retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 889 patients diagnosed with osteoporotic vertebral fracture at Beijing Shijitan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2022.ResultsThe study included 193 patients with VFC. The multifactorial risk analysis showed that the independent risk factors for VFC included a history of diabetes mellitus (hazard ratio, 1.635; p value = 0.016), a history of oral corticosteroid therapy (hazard ratio, 1.798; p value = 0.001), chronic obstruction pulmonary disease (COPD, hazard ratio 1.666, p value = 0.036), thoracolumbar fracture (hazard ratio, 2.664, p value <0.001), and a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28 (hazard ratio 1.421; p value = 0.045). Further study showed that glycated haemoglobin was also an important factor affecting the interval between fractures in patients with VFC.ConclusionIndependent risk factors for VFC include a history of diabetes, prior oral corticosteroid therapy, COPD, thoracolumbar fracture, and BMI ≥ 28. The occurrence of fractures in the thoracolumbar segment is the most important risk factor. Additional research has shown that after the first vertebral fracture, the poorer the patient's blood sugar control, the faster the refracture rate.