PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURE AMONG OLDER WOMEN WITH OSTEOPOROSIS

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and associated factors of vertebral compression fracture (VCF) in older women with osteoporosis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 279 older women with osteoporosis at the Rheumatology and Neurosurgery Department and Rheumatology Clinic, University Medical Center, from August 2022 to May 2023. Results: 102/279 older women (36.6%) had at least one vertebral fracture, and more than 50% of participants were symptomatic. In the adjusted logistic regression, physical activity (OR: 0.44; 95%CI: 0.20 - 0.94; p = 0.038), osteoarthritis (OR: 0.24; 95%CI: 0.12 - 0.48; p < 0.001), frailty (OR: 7.41; 95%CI: 3.45 - 16.73; p < 0.001), falls (OR: 3.86; 95%CI: 1.68 - 9.32; p = 0.002), T-score at femoral neck (OR: 0.63; 95%CI: 0.41 - 0.92; p = 0.002) were associated with vertebral fracture. Conclusion: The prevalence of VCF was quite high among older women with osteoporosis, highlighting a disease burden in this population. Physical activity, osteoarthritis, and higher T-score at the femoral neck decreased the odds of VCF, while frailty and falls increased the odds of VCF.