Background/Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease of the airways. It is mainly caused by smoking. Active smoking is a risk factor for osteoporosis. The occurrence of thoracic vertebral fractures can lead to additional deformities and ventilatory disorders. Moreover, little is known about the consequences of VF in COPD.

The objective is to determine the occurrence of vertebral fractures in a real-life COPD population hospitalized for exacerbation, and the risk factors involved.

Methods: The clinical characteristics of patients hospitalized in the pulmonology department from January 1 to December 31, 2022 were assessed. The diagnosis of vertebral fracture (VF) was assessed on standard chest X-rays.

Results: Of the 136 files analyzed, 106 patients were included. The main characteristics are shown in Table 1. The diagnosis of VF was largely underestimated (only 3.77% of VFs were described on standard chest X-rays). The prevalence of VF was 21.7%. The incidence rate was 23 cases per 106 patient-years. Lower BMI appears to be associated with the occurrence of VF p< 0.05. Patients with VF were hospitalized longer on average and had more exacerbations during the year, but this was not significant. There was no difference in mortality between the 2 groups.

Conclusion: VF are common in COPD patients, yet they remain under-diagnosed and may contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in this population over the long terme.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/b-frost-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-and-vertebral-fracture-of-osteoporotic-origin-results-of-a-real-life-cohort/