Background/Purpose: Health-related Quality of life (HRQL) has been used as a complementary measure of bone mineral density to evaluate the burden of osteoporosis on a patient’s daily life. There are few epidemiological studies evaluate HRQL and vertebral fractures in non-ambulatory or non-institutionalized elderly individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of asymptomatic vertebral fractures on quality of life in community-dwelling older women.
Methods: This cross-sectional study is nested within the larger epidemiological project of prevalence vertebral fractures in older living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A random sample of 180 women with 65 years of age or over was evaluated. The Quality of Life Questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (QUALEFFO) was applied to all subjects. The QUALEFFO is a specific questionnaire designed to be used by patients with vertebral fractures attributed to osteoporosis. A low domain score indicates worse health and a high score indicates better health. Anthropometric data was obtained by physical examination and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. A lateral thoracic and lumbar spine X-ray was performed to identify asymptomatic vertebral fractures using Genant semi-quantitative method. A generalized linear model (GLM) with gamma distribution and logarithmic link function was used in the final statistical analysis.
Results: Women with asymptomatic vertebral fractures had lower QUALEFFO total score [61.4(15.3) vs. 67.1(14.2), p=0.03] and worse QUALEFFO-physical-function domain [69.5(20.1) vs. 77.3(17.1), p=0.02] compared to those without fractures. QUALEFFO total score was also worse in women classified as obese, compare those classified as overweight and normal. High physical activity was related with better QUALEFFO total score (p=0.01). Likewise, lower QUALEFFO-physical-function score was observed in women with higher BMI (p<0.05) and lower physical activity (p<0.05). GLM with gamma distribution and logarithmic link function, adjusted to age, showed that impair QUALLEFFO-total score and QUALEFFO-physical-function domain was related with high BMI, lower physical activity and vertebral fractures (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Vertebral fractures are associated to decrease QOL in community-dwelling older women regardless of age, BMI, and physical activity. Therefore, our results highlight the importance of preventing and controlling asymptomatic vertebral fractures in order to reduce their impact on QOL among older women.
Disclosure:
J. B. Lopes,
None;
L. Fung,
None;
C. C. Cha,
None;
C. P. Figueiredo,
None;
L. Takayama,
None;
V. Caparbo,
None;
R. M. R. Pereira,
None.
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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/the-impact-of-asymptomatic-vertebral-fractures-on-quality-of-life-in-community-dwelling-older-women-the-sao-paulo-ageing-health-study-spah/