2024-10-18 09:34:00
Fractured vertebrae due to osteoporosis “is a growing epidemic that is little talked about, despite the growing number of hospital admissions it causes”, says the president of the Spanish Spine Society, Luis Álvarez Galovich. The target is women (80% of cases); with an average of 76 years and only 19.5% with previous antiosteoporotic treatment.
In conjunction with the World Osteoporosis Dayon October 20, this medical society alerts for the fracture of the vertebrae which could cause almost a daily hospitalization in tertiary hospitals (those that treat the most complex cases).
This emerges clearly from a study carried out in University Clinical Hospital of Valencia where monitoring was carried out during the year 2023 and one hospitalization was observed every 1.6 days.
Nearly eight out of ten patients were female and with an average age of 76 years.
Little previous treatment against osteoporosis
The study also revealed that although 13.7% of patients had previously been diagnosed with an osteoporotic vertebral fracture and 35.8% had a history of other fragility fractures, only 19.5% had received prior anti-inflammatory treatment for osteoporosis.
Data which, in the opinion of the president of the Spanish Spine Society, speak of the “need to improve the monitoring and control of patients with minor fractures, to avoid hospital admissions for acute episodes”.
What causes vertebral fractures?
Regarding the cause of the injury, the study shows that the most frequent was a casual fall from one’s own height (71.2%), followed by excessive effort (17.3%).
71% of patients were treated conservatively, while 28.3% underwent surgery, with an average hospital stay of one week and notable deaths in 6.6% of the sample.
<img decoding="async" width="1024" height="614" data-attachment-id="202166" data-permalink="https://efesalud.com/la-ciatica-exige-correcto-diagnostico-evitar-lesiones-degenerativas/clumna-vertebral/" data-orig-file=" data-orig-size="1024,614" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Columna vertebral" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="
A true spine of the human body. EFE/Mario Guzmán
” data-medium-file=” data-large-file=” tabindex=”0″ role=”button” alt=”vertebral osteoporosis” class=”wp-image-202166 lazyload” style=”width:660px;height: auto” src=” srcset=” 1024w, 300w, 768w” data-sizes=”auto” data-eio-rwidth=”1024″ data-eio-rheight=”614″/>A real spine of the human body. EFE/Mario Guzmán
The main cause, osteoporosis
“There are many causes of vertebral fractures, but, in our environment, the most common cause of weakness of the vertebrae and other bones is osteoporosis. Other less frequent causes are malignant tumors (metastases, bone cancer, myeloma…) and some benign tumors”, explains the president of the aforementioned medical society.
Osteoporosis consists of bone weakness resulting from lower density due to a decrease in the amount of calcium salts deposited in the bone structure.
This bone fragility resulting from osteoporosis is what makes fractures more frequent, especially in the bones of the wrists, hips and vertebrae of the spine.
Prevent osteoporosis
“Loss of bone density (osteoporosis) is by far the main cause of vertebral fractures in our environment and is associated with aging, but we must avoid spreading the idea that osteoporosis inevitably occurs as we age, because it is false, and instill healthy habits that promote prevention, especially among women, who are at greater risk,” says Dr. Álvarez Galovich.
For this reason, the Spanish Spine Society reminds us that the prevention of osteoporosis starts from childhood with a bone-healthy diet and lots of exercise. The more bone mass you have when you reach adulthood, the less likely you are to have weak, fragile bones in later life.
These healthy habits must be maintained into adulthood to avoid bone loss, with a diet rich in calcium and protein, as well as sufficient physical activity and sun exposure.
“Unfortunately, habits are increasingly being supplanted by the forms of work and leisure in today’s society, in which sedentary lifestyles, obesity and exposure to screens put a strain on the health of the spine at increasingly younger ages,” concludes the president. of the Spanish Spine Society.
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