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Purpose: To understand national trends and costs associated with the utilization of anti-osteoporotic medication and DEXA screening within the year following a sentinel/primary distal radius fracture. Methods: The 2008-2015Q1 Humana Administrative Claims database was queried to identify patients aged ≥50 years, with a "sentinel" occurrence of a primary closed distal radius fracture. Linear regression models were used to report and assess for significant trends in utilization of anti-osteoporotic medication and DEXA screenings within the year following the fracture. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess for factors associated with receiving or not receiving anti-osteoporotic medication. Results: A total of 14 526 sentinel distal radius fractures were included in the study. Only 7.2% (n = 1046) of patients received anti-osteoporosis medication in the year following the distal radius fracture. Treatment with medication for osteoporosis declined from 8.2% in 2008 to 5.9% in 2015, whereas the rate of DEXA screening increased from 14.8% in 2008 to 23.6% in 2015. The most common prescribed treatment was alendronate sodium (n = 835; 79.8%—$49/patient). Factors associated with increased odds of receiving anti-osteoporotic medication were age 70 to 79 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.45; P =.014), age 80 to 89 years (OR, 1.66; P =.001), Asian (OR, 2.95; P =.002) or Hispanic (OR, 1.77; P =.006) ethnicity, belonging to South (OR, 1.19; P =.029) or West (OR, 1.37; P =.010), and having an Elixhauser Comorbidity Index score of 3 (OR, 2.14; P =.024) or > 3 (OR, 2.05; P =.022). Conclusions: Despite a rising utilization of DEXA screening following "sentinel" distal radius fractures, the proportion of individuals who receive anti-osteoporotic treatment is decreasing over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) pose a considerable healthcare burden and are linked to elevated morbidity and mortality. Despite available anti-osteoporotic treatments (AOTs), guideline adherence is lacking. This study aims to evaluate subsequent hip fracture incidence after index VCF and to elucidate AOT prescribing patterns in VCF patients, further assessing the impact of surgical interventions on these patterns. Materials and Methods: Patients with index VCFs between 2010 and 2021 were identified using the PearlDiver database. Diagnostic and procedural data were recorded using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9, ICD-10) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Patients under age 50 and follow-up

Purpose: To examine the response to anti-osteoporotic treatment, considered as incident fragility fractures after a minimum follow-up of 1 year, according to sex, age, and number of comorbidities of the patients. Methods: For this retrospective observational study, data from baseline and follow-up visits on the number of comorbidities, prescribed anti-osteoporotic treatment and vertebral, humerus or hip fractures in 993 patients from the OSTEOMED registry were analyzed using logistic regression and an artificial network model. Results: Logistic regression showed that the probability of reducing fractures for each anti-osteoporotic treatment considered was independent of sex, age, and the number of comorbidities, increasing significantly only in males taking vitamin D (OR = 7.918), patients without comorbidities taking vitamin D (OR = 4.197) and patients with ≥ 3 comorbidities taking calcium (OR = 9.412). Logistic regression correctly classified 96% of patients (Hosmer–Lemeshow = 0.492) compared with the artificial neural network model, which correctly classified 95% of patients (AUC = 0.6). Conclusion: In general, sex, age and the number of comorbidities did not influence the likelihood that a given anti-osteoporotic treatment improved the risk of incident fragility fractures after 1 year, but this appeared to increase when patients had been treated with risedronate, strontium or teriparatide. The two models used classified patients similarly, but predicted differently in terms of the probability of improvement, with logistic regression being the better fit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The increased social and economic burdens make osteoporosis in men an emerging public health issue. However, the quality of life among men with osteoporosis is still unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among men with osteoporosis or osteoporotic fracture. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library database were systematically searched from inception to May 2021. Studies were included if they used validated questionnaires to measure HRQoL among osteoporotic men. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model or fixed-effects model to calculate the standard mean difference (SMD) or mean difference (MD) with 95% confidential interval (95% CI). Results: 14 studies involving 6338 male participants were chosen for systematic review, of which 10 were included in the meta-analysis. Men with osteoporosis had poorer global HRQoL and multiple dimensions of HRQoL than men without osteoporosis. Hip fracture, vertebral fractures, or wrist fractures dramatically impaired HRQoL of men, and physical function was declined even before hip fracture (SMD = −0.60, 95% CI, −0.82 to −0.39). Femoral and lumbar BMD was positively correlated with HRQoL, and a number of fragility fractures and time since fracture had negative effects on HRQoL. Effective anti-osteoporotic drugs could improve HRQoL of men. Conclusion: The health-related life quality of men was significantly impaired by osteoporosis and fracture of the hip, vertebral, or wrist. We should pay more attention to the diagnosis and treatment of male osteoporosis to improve the life quality of men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a pathological state with an unbalanced bone metabolism mainly caused by accelerated osteoporotic osteoclast activity due to a postmenopausal estrogen deficiency, and it causes some kinds of pain, which can be divided into two types: traumatic pain due to a fragility fracture from impaired rigidity, and pain derived from an osteoporotic pathology without evidence of fracture. We aimed to review the concepts of osteoporosis-related pain and its management. Methods: We reviewed clinical and basic articles on osteoporosis-related pain, especially with a focus on the mechanism of pain derived from an osteoporotic pathology (i.e., osteoporotic pain) and its pharmacological treatment. Results: Osteoporosis-related pain tends to be robust and acute if it is due to fracture or collapse, whereas pathology-related osteoporotic pain is vague and dull. Non-traumatic osteoporotic pain can originate from an undetectable microfracture or structural change such as muscle fatigue in kyphotic patients. Furthermore, basic studies have shown that the osteoporotic state itself is related to pain or hyperalgesia with increased pain-related neuropeptide expression or acid-sensing channels in the local tissue and nervous system. Traditional treatment for osteoporotic pain potentially prevents possible fracture-induced pain by increasing bone mineral density and affecting related mediators such as osteoclasts and osteoblasts. The most common agent for osteoporotic pain management is a bisphosphonate. Other non-osteoporotic analgesic agents such as celecoxib have also been reported to have a suppressive effect on osteoporotic pain. Conclusions: Osteoporotic pain has traumatic and non-traumatic factors. Anti-osteoporotic treatments are effective for osteoporotic pain, as they improve bone structure and the condition of the pain-related sensory nervous system. Physicians should always consider these matters when choosing a treatment strategy that would best benefit patients with osteoporotic pain.

We evaluated whether osteoporosis is adequately managed and treated in patients suffering from fragility fractures. Factors that influenced osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment rates were also assessed. To this end, patients with the principal diagnosis of low-energy hip, vertebral, or distal radius fractures were recruited for the study. Collected data included risk factors for osteoporosis, history of previous fractures, known history of osteoporosis, and osteoporosis treatment at the time of admission. The patients' prefracture risk profile was also assessed to determine whether osteoporosis could have been identified prior to the index fracture. We identified 308 patients with fragility fractures, including 214 hip, 41 vertebral, and 53 distal radius fractures. Overall, 238 patients (77.3%) had at least one risk factor for osteoporosis. Eighty-eight patients (28.6%) had sustained ≥ 1 prior fragility fractures in the past. However, only 79 patients (25.6%) were aware that they had osteoporosis and even fewer (66 patients, 21.4%) had been receiving osteoporosis treatment preceding the current admission. Anti-osteoporotic agents were more commonly prescribed in patients 66-75 years old (p = 0.008), with a family history of osteoporosis (p = 0.009) or history of a prior fragility fracture (p = 0.012). The treatment rate was higher in women than men (p = 0.026) and in patients with vertebral or multiple prior fractures compared to patients with prior hip fractures. The current study provides evidence that individuals who experience fragility fractures are not adequately managed for osteoporosis. Only few of the historically known risk factors for osteoporosis were adequately recognized and associated with osteoporosis evaluation and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most frequent cancer worldwide with about 25% of new cases in female population. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are recommended by National and International guidelines as treatment for women affected by BC estrogen receptor-positive tumors. However, these drugs, blocking the enzyme converting androgens into estrogens, might result in reduction of bone mineral density (BMD). Although since 2012 the use of antiresorptive drugs was recommended for AIs-associated bone loss, only few patients received this treatment in real practice. Therefore, we aimed to assess the appropriateness of the management of AIs-associated bone loss by oncologists and bone specialists in BC women. Methods. In this Italian multicenter retrospective study, we included women affected by BC referred to 11 Italian Centers for Osteoporosis from two Italian regions (Lazio and Campania) in a 2 year-period (from March 2013 to February 2015). We evaluated the difference in terms of appropriateness of bone health management according to the 2012 European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO), Position Paper between oncologists and bone specialists (endocrinologists, physiatrists, rheumatologists, internists, geriatrists, and gynecologists). Results. We included 300 women affected by BC, mean aged 63.26 ± 9.48 years, 182 (60.67%) treated with anastrozole, 87 (29.00%) with letrozole, and 31 (10.33%) with exemestane. Anti-osteoporotic drugs were prescribed in 87 patients (29.0%) by oncologists and in 216 patients (72.0%) by bone specialists. We found that only 44.67% were appropriately managed in terms of bone health by the oncologists, compared to 71.17% of cases by bone specialists. Conclusions. This Italian multicenter retrospective study showed a more appropriate management of AIs-induced osteoporosis by bone specialists, demonstrating a key role of these physicians in the bone health management of BC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The National Bone Health Alliance (NBHA) recommends standardized sample handling and patient preparation for C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) and N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) measurements to reduce pre-analytical variability. Controllable and uncontrollable patient-related factors are reviewed to facilitate interpretation and minimize pre-analytical variability. Introduction: The IOF and the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) Bone Marker Standards Working Group have identified PINP and CTX-I in blood to be the reference markers of bone turnover for the fracture risk prediction and monitoring of osteoporosis treatment. Although used in clinical research for many years, bone turnover markers (BTM) have not been widely adopted in clinical practice primarily due to their poor within-subject and between-lab reproducibility. The NBHA Bone Turnover Marker Project team aim to reduce pre-analytical variability of CTX-I and PINP measurements through standardized sample handling and patient preparation. Methods: Recommendations for sample handling and patient preparations were made based on review of available publications and pragmatic considerations to reduce pre-analytical variability. Controllable and un-controllable patient-related factors were reviewed to facilitate interpretation and sample collection. Results: Samples for CTX-I must be collected consistently in the morning hours in the fasted state. EDTA plasma is preferred for CTX-I for its greater sample stability. Sample collection conditions for PINP are less critical as PINP has minimal circadian variability and is not affected by food intake. Sample stability limits should be observed. The uncontrollable aspects (age, sex, pregnancy, immobility, recent fracture, co-morbidities, anti-osteoporotic drugs, other medications) should be considered in BTM interpretation. Conclusion: Adopting standardized sample handling and patient preparation procedures will significantly reduce controllable pre-analytical variability. The successful adoption of such recommendations necessitates the close collaboration of various stakeholders at the global stage, including the laboratories, the medical community, the reagent manufacturers and the regulatory agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé Le traitement de l’ostéoporose post-ménopausique est justifié chez les sujets à grand risque de fracture et en particulier chez ceux à risque de récidive, compte-tenu des conséquences potentielles de certaines de ces fractures (extrémité supérieure du fémur, vertèbres, bassin, extrémité supérieure de l’humérus). Le traitement associe des mesures non pharmacologiques et des traitements médicamenteux. C’est la réévaluation répétée du risque fracturaire qui guide la durée de ces traitements. Patients with a high risk of fragility fractures, and those with recent fractures, must receive the highest priority for anti-osteoporotic treatment, because of the consequences of some of these fractures (hip, vertebrae, pelvis, humerus). Both non pharmacological and pharmacological treatments must be used. The duration of the treatment is based on the assessment of fracture risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A number of medications are approved for treatment of osteoporosis. As mode of action usually is anti-catabolic/anti-resorptive or anabolic, it is of interest to know whether these drugs affect not only normal bone remodeling, but also fracture healing. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to give a short overview of the potential effect of various anti-osteoporotic medication on fracture healing. Methods: A narrative literature review was performed to describe the current knowledge. Results: Anti-catabolic/anti-resorptive drugs: for bisphosphonates, the most common class of drugs in this group, experimental studies have shown a larger and stronger callus and delayed remodeling but no evidence of delayed healing. A human monoclonal antibody to RANKL is another anti-catabolic drug, with the only report to date showing enhanced healing in an animal model. Strontium ranelate is a drug where both anti-catabolic and a weak anabolic effect have been proposed, with experimental data ranging from no effect to significant increase in both callus volume and strength. Anabolic drugs: PTH has demonstrated accelerated healing of various experimental fractures and of distal radius and pelvic fractures in humans. While the exact mechanism is not fully understood, PTH results in increased recruitment and differentiation of chondrocytes and enhancement of endochondral ossification. A monoclonal antibody to block sclerostin is another potential anabolic pathway, where animal data have shown increase in bone mass and strength. The potential effect on fracture healing is yet to be studied. Conclusion: There are still large gaps in the understanding of the potential effect of anti-osteoporotic drugs on fracture healing, although based on present knowledge a recent or present fracture should not be considered as a contraindication to such treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas the beneficial effects of intermittent treatment with parathyroid hormone (PTH) (intact PTH 1-84 or fragment PTH 1-34, teriparatide) on vertebral strength is well documented, treatment may not be equally effective in the peripheral skeleton. We used high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) to detail effects on compartmental geometry, density, and microarchitecture as well as finite element (FE) estimated integral strength at the distal radius and tibia in postmenopausal osteoporotic women treated with PTH 1-34 (20 µg sc daily, n = 18) or PTH 1-84 (100 µg sc daily, n = 20) for 18 months in an open-label, nonrandomized study. A group of postmenopausal osteoporotic women receiving zoledronic acid (5 mg infusion once yearly, n = 33) was also included. Anabolic therapy increased cortical porosity in radius (PTH 1-34 32 ± 37%, PTH 1-84 39 ± 32%, both p < 0.001) and tibia (PTH 1-34 13 ± 27%, PTH 1-84 15 ± 22%, both p < 0.001) with corresponding declines in cortical density. With PTH 1-34, increases in cortical thickness in radius (2.0 ± 3.8%, p < 0.05) and tibia (3.8 ± 10.4%, p < 0.01) were found. Trabecular number increased in tibia with both PTH 1-34 (4.2 ± 7.1%, p < 0.05) and PTH 1-84 (5.3 ± 8.3%, p < 0.01). Zoledronic acid did not impact cortical porosity at either site but increased cortical thickness (3.0 ± 3.5%, p < 0.01), total (2.7 ± 2.5%, p < 0.001) and cortical density (1.5 ± 2.0%, p < 0.01) in tibia as well as trabecular volume fraction in radius (2.5 ± 5.1%, p < 0.05) and tibia (2.2 ± 2.2%, p < 0.01). FE estimated bone strength was preserved, but not increased, with PTH 1-34 and zoledronic acid at both sites, whereas it decreased with PTH 1-84 in radius (−2.8 ± 5.8%, p < 0.05) and tibia (-3.9 ± 4.8%, p < 0.001). Conclusively, divergent treatment-specific effects in cortical and trabecular bone were observed with anabolic and zoledronic acid therapy. The finding of decreased estimated strength with PTH 1-84 treatment was surprising and warrants confirmation. © 2013 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Since July 1, 2006 bone mineral density (BMD) testing has been reimbursed for osteoporosis screening under specific clinical conditions in France. Concurrently, drug coverage has been extended to all anti-osteoporotic treatments in women with low BMD. It was thus expected that the utilisation of BMD testing and subsequent treatment would increase significantly. Objective: To examine the pattern of use of BMD testing following reimbursement by the French National Health Insurance and subsequent prescriptions reimbursed for anti-osteoporotic treatment in the general population of the Rhone-Alpes area, France. Methods: Time trends, age and sex distribution of the population, and specialty of the physicians who performed the test were examined from all physicians’ claims for BMD testing between 2006 and 2009 in Rhone-Alpes. A prospective inception cohort of all women aged 50years and older, without prior reimbursement for anti-osteoporotic treatment and who had a BMD test between January 1, 2007 and March 31, 2007, was then created. Women were followed for 1year for their reimbursements of estrogen or other anti-osteoporotic treatment (bisphosphonates, raloxifene, teriparatide and strontium ranelate) after their initial BMD test. Results: Between July 2006 and August 2009, 140,038 BMD tests were reimbursed in Rhone-Alpes, France, among which 94.8% were performed in women aged 50years and older. In women, the number of BMD tests tended to significantly decrease during the study period (p for trend=0.047). The inception cohort was composed of 9635 women without prior anti-osteoporotic treatment. Among women without prior estrogen treatment, 27.3% (n =2339) initiated an anti-osteoporotic treatment within 4months after a BMD test, mostly with bisphosphonates (16.8% n =1441), followed by strontium ranelate (5.8% n =498) and raloxifene (3.4% n =290). At 1 year 1702 women (71.7%) were still on treatment. Conclusion: Following the decision by the French National Health Insurance of repayment of BMD measurement, the proportion of women who had BMD testing tended to decrease instead of increase over the time period. Although BMD screening is focused in France on high risk women, only 25% of those who had an initial BMD test were subsequently treated with an anti-osteoporotic medication. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The national Finnish guidelines for medical treatment of hip fracture patients are: osteoporosis medication and the daily concomitant use of vitamin D and calcium supplements. We investigated the post-fracture medical therapy for osteoporosis and the calcium and vitamin D therapy among hip fracture patients in two Finnish hospitals. The pre-fracture osteoporosis medication and use of calcium and vitamin D supplements of the patients were inquired on admission. The patient-specific use of osteoporosis medication and of prescribed calcium and vitamin D therapy during the follow-up time were checked from The Finnish Social Insurance Institution. At the end of the follow-up, those who were alive were inquired about the use of medication at the time. Eight percent of the 223 patients used osteoporosis medication and 8% used prescribed calcium and vitamin D supplements before the fracture. During the follow-up, the figures were 39% (52/133) and 53% (70/133), respectively, and at the end of the follow-up, correspondingly, 25% (29/114) and 44% (50/114). The follow-up time was 19.5–35 months. The post-fracture medical therapy for osteoporosis was insufficient. More effort should be focused on the secondary prevention following hip fracture in order to ensure the recommended treatment of osteoporosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Osteoporosis has been defined as "a systemic disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, with consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture". The impact of osteoporosis is most pronounced in elderly populations who run the greatest risk of fractures. The probability of developing mainly hip, vertebral and other non-vertebral fractures (for example, a Colles fracture) not only depends on bone mineral density (BMD) but also on age. Older patients are more susceptible to fracture than younger patients with the same BMD T-score. As the older population increases, the incidence of osteoporotic fractures is expected to rise dramatically over the next few decades. Although hip fractures are considered to be the most severe and economically important osteoporotic fracture, vertebral fractures also lead to adverse health outcomes, including back pain, height loss and kyphosis. These changes may result in significant declines in physical performance, function and, ultimately, loss of independence. The challenge for physicians is to prevent bone loss, to diagnose and treat osteoporosis before fractures occur, and to treat patients who have already experienced a fracture to prevent recurrent fractures. The objective of this review is to analyze the capacity to reduce fractures as the key element to evaluate the effectiveness of available medications: calcium and Vitamin D, bone formation drugs, antiresortive drugs, and dual-effect drugs. In view of the paucity of information about treatment of osteoporosis in the elderly population, available studies were not designed with this objective, so that this article reviews data mostly deriving from post-hoc analysis or sub-analysis of the main phase III clinical trials of each of the tested medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of anti-osteoporotic treatment as part of the secondary prevention after hip fracture in terms of mortality and re-fracture risk has been studied, and the results are promising. Decreased treatment adherence and compliance is a problem that needs to be addressed by healthcare professionals. A systematic review of the literature was performed using the PubMed database with terms that included hip fracture, mortality, second fracture, and specific anti-osteoporotic treatment. We included 28 articles, 21 regarding mortality and 20 re-fracture rates in hip fracture patients. All studies showed lower mortality after hip fracture associated with anti-osteoporotic treatment, mostly bisphosphonate agents. The re-fracture risk is still debatable, since conflicting data were found. Although most of the studies showed notable effects on mortality and re-fracture rates associated with anti-osteoporotic treatment, we still need more data to validate the actual results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International osteoporosis foundation and the International federation of clinical chemistry (IFCC) Bone marker standards working group have identified N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) in blood to be the reference markers of bone turnover for the fracture risk prediction and monitoring of osteoporosis treatment. Although used in clinical research for many years, bone turnover markers (BTM) have not been widely adopted in clinical practice primarily due to their poor within-subject and between-lab reproducibility. The NBHA bone turnover marker project team aim to reduce pre-analytical variability of CTX-I and PINP measurements through standardized sample handling and patient preparation. Recommendations for sample handling and patient preparations were made based on review of available publications and pragmatic considerations to reduce pre-analytical variability. Controllable and un-controllable patient-related factors were reviewed to facilitate interpretation and sample collection. Samples for CTX-I must be collected consistently in the morning hours in the fasted state. EDTA plasma is preferred for CTX-I for its greater sample stability. Sample collection conditions for PINP are less critical as PINP has minimal circadian variability and is not affected by food intake. Sample stability limits should be observed. The uncontrollable aspects (age, sex, pregnancy, immobility, recent fracture, co-morbidities, anti-osteoporotic drugs, other medications) should be considered in BTM interpretation. Adopting standardized sample handling and patient preparation procedures will significantly reduce controllable pre-analytical variability. The successful adoption of such recommendations necessitates the close collaboration of various stakeholders at the global stage, including the laboratories, the medical community, the reagent manufacturers and the regulatory agencies.