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Estimated epidemiology of osteoporosis diagnoses and osteoporosis-related high fracture risk in Germany: a German claims data analysis

Archives of Osteoporosis volume 15, Article number: 127 (2020) Cite this article

Abstract

Summary

In 2016, an estimated 143,967 female and 25,315 male patients had a diagnosis of osteoporosis, accounting for 4.44% of the German population. Due to an aging population, an increase in the number of osteoporosis patients and osteoporotic fractures can be expected, posing a substantial burden on healthcare systems.

Purpose

Osteoporosis is one of the most prevalent diseases in developed countries, mainly affecting older adults. It leads to decreased bone mass, bone microarchitecture deterioration, and increased risk of fracture. This epidemiological study investigated the prevalence and incidence of osteoporosis diagnoses and assessed the number of osteoporosis patients who are at high risk of vertebral/femoral fracture.

Methods

We analyzed German claims data (AOK PLUS) covering 2010–2016. All included patients were diagnosed with osteoporosis (ICD-10 M80.*/M81.*). Vertebral/femoral and other fractures were identified based on respective ICD-10 codes. Patient numbers were extrapolated to the entire German population, based on patient age and gender.

Results

In 2016, 169,282 patients (143,967 females and 25,315 males) had prevalent osteoporosis, 25,996 (20,425 females and 5571 males) of which were newly diagnosed that year. Extrapolated prevalence for Germany was 3.61 million patients (4.44% of the German population). Extrapolated incidence was 0.62 million patients. Of patients with prevalent osteoporosis, 13,613 experienced an incident vertebral/femoral fracture in 2016 (German extrapolation: 258,957 patients). Of these, 36.88% received an osteoporosis treatment that year.

Conclusion

Our study identified a high number of prevalent and incident patients with osteoporosis claims in Germany. The increasing age of the German population will likely lead to a significant increase in the number of patients with osteoporosis over the next decades. Treatment of osteoporosis patients with high fracture risk, especially those with a recent vertebral/femoral fracture, should be of particular focus, as a substantial proportion does not receive a guideline-based treatment.

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Funding

UCB Pharma and Amgen Inc.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Frankfurt Center of Bone Health, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Peyman Hadji

  2. IPAM e.V., University of Wismar, Wismar, Germany

    Fränce Hardtstock

  3. Ingress Health GmbH, Wismar, Germany

    Thomas Wilke

  4. UCB Pharma, Alfred-Nobel-Straße 10, 40789, Monheim am Rhein, Germany

    Lars Joeres, Luis Möckel & Patrick Gille

  5. UCB Pharma, Brussels, Belgium

    Emese Toth

  6. HSD Hochschule Döpfer, University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Germany

    Luis Möckel

Authors
  1. Peyman Hadji
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  2. Fränce Hardtstock
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  3. Thomas Wilke
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  4. Lars Joeres
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  5. Emese Toth
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  6. Luis Möckel
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  7. Patrick Gille
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick Gille.

Ethics declarations

The study protocol was reviewed by a scientific steering committee to which all the authors as well as the data provider, AOK PLUS, belonged. The study was performed in line with acknowledged guidelines for observational studies (Good Pharmacoepidemiologic Practice [GPP], Good Practice of Secondary Data Analysis [GPS]).

Conflict of interest

PH: Received research funding, consultancy, and lecture fees from Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Gedeon Richter, Mylan, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB Pharma. FH: Employee of IPAM; paid consultant for this study. TW: Employee of Ingress Health GmBH; paid consultant for this study. LJ, ET, PG: UCB Pharma employees. LM: Former UCB Pharma employee; received consultancy and lecture fees from UCB Pharma.

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Hadji, P., Hardtstock, F., Wilke, T. et al. Estimated epidemiology of osteoporosis diagnoses and osteoporosis-related high fracture risk in Germany: a German claims data analysis. Arch Osteoporos 15, 127 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-020-00800-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-020-00800-w

Keywords

  • Osteoporosis
  • Osteoporosis treatment
  • Vertebral/femoral fractures