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Spinal fractures underdiagnosed, according to report
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A recent report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation calls on physicians to recognize the signs of spinal fractures and cites figures that claim that as many as 65% of spinal fractures go undetected.
The report, “The Breaking Spine,” focuses on the impact of spinal fractures and places responsibility for their detection and proper treatment on physicians.
“These fractures must not be ignored,” International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) president John A. Kanis, MD, FRCP, stated in an IOF press release. “Their repercussions can be severe, resulting in stooped back, acute and chronic back pain, loss of height, immobility, depression, increased number of bed days, reduced pulmonary function and even premature death.”
Spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis can often be dismissed as simple back pain or arthritis. When these fractures remain undiagnosed and untreated, patients are at a higher risk of suffering further fractures. According to the report, if a female patient with a spinal fracture does not receive treatment, she has a 20% chance of sustaining another fracture within 1 year.
The report notes that about 40% of older women with spinal fractures visible on X-ray undergo testing for osteoporosis. The figure is even lower in men — less than 20%. Furthermore, figures from Canadian studies find that individuals aged 50 years or older who have suffered spinal fractures have a one in six chance of dying within 5 years.
According to the authors, evidence of spinal fractures can include stooped back, loss of height and sudden, severe back pain. Patients suspected of having suffered a spinal fracture must be referred to further testing. The authors also note that it is critical to clearly identify spinal fractures on radiology reports, and that studies indicate that as many as 20 to 25% of Caucasian women and men older than 50 years have a current spinal fracture.
Reference:
www.iofbonehealth.org/download/osteofound/filemanager/publications/pdf/the-breaking-spine-en.pdf
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