Prevalence and risk factors of radiographic vertebral fractures in elderly Chinese men and women: results of Mr. OS (Hong Kong) and Ms. OS (Hong Kong) studies

Summary This study investigated the prevalence of radiographic vertebral fractures using Genant’s semiquantitative (SQ) scoring system in elderly Chinese men ( n = 2,000; mean age, 72.4 years) and women ( n = 2,000; mean age, 72.6 years). Vertebral deformities had similar prevalence in elderly men (14.9 %) and women (16.5 %). Majority of the deformities in men were mild (9.9 %, grade = 1). The prevalence of vertebral fractures (grade ≥ 2) was 5.0 % among men and 12.1 % among women. Introduction Vertebral fracture is a serious consequence of osteoporosis and is often under-diagnosed. Researches on different ethnicities and territories to estimate the prevalence of vertebral fractures and to identify the risk factors are necessary. Methods Mr. OS (Hong Kong) and Ms. OS (Hong Kong) represent the first large-scale cohort studies ever conducted on bone health in elderly Chinese men ( n = 2,000) and women ( n = 2,000). The current study investigated the prevalence of radiographic vertebral fractures in these subjects using Genant’s SQ scoring system and identified risk factors for vertebral fractures. Results The radiographs of all men (mean age, 72.4 years) and women (mean age, 72.6 years) were obtained. Six hundred twenty-seven subjects (15.7 %) had at least one vertebral deformity (SQ grade ≥ 1), including 297 men (14.9 %) and 330 women (16.5 %, p = 0.151). Three hundred forty-two participants (8.6 %) were defined as having at least one vertebra fracture (SQ grade ≥ 2), consisted of 100 men (5.0 %) and 242 women (12.1 %, p