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Racial differences in the prevalence of vertebral fractures in older men: the Baltimore Men’s Osteoporosis Study

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Abstract

Older black men have higher adjusted bone mineral density (BMD) and a lower adjusted rate of decline in hip BMD than older white men. There are few published data on the prevalence of morphometric vertebral fractures in older white men and no published data for older black men. The study’s objective was to estimate the prevalence of vertebral fractures in older men and explore differences in prevalence between older white and black men. Subjects included five hundred forty-two men (415 white and 127 black) aged 65 and above (mean age of 74.0±5.7 years) participating in the longitudinal component of the Baltimore Men’s Osteoporosis Study. Radiographs of the thoracic and lumbar spine were obtained using standard protocols and read for the presence of vertebral deformities using binary semiquantitative techniques. Quantitative morphometry was performed and vertebral fractures were defined using the Melton-Eastell method. BMD was measured at the femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine. Participants also completed self- and interviewer-administered questionnaires and underwent standardized clinical examinations. One or more vertebral fractures were present in 30 of 514 men with available radiographs: estimated prevalence 5.8% (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 4.0, 8.3%). Prevalence was significantly higher in white than black men, 7.3% vs 0.9% (Fishers’ exact p =0.01): age-adjusted odds ratio=8.3 (95% CI: 1.1, 62.5). Among white men, there was no significant difference in age-adjusted femoral neck or total hip BMD or frequency or severity of back pain between men with and without vertebral fractures. In conclusion, older white men have a higher prevalence of vertebral fractures than older black men. This may be related to differences in BMD between these groups.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Arthritis Foundation; also supported by the University of Maryland General Clinical Research Center grant M01 RR165001, General Clinical Research Centers Program, National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), NIH

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    J. Kathleen Tracy, Walter A. Meyer & Marc C. Hochberg

  2. Osteoporosis and Arthritis Research Group, Department of Radiology, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Mikayel Grigoryan, Bo Fan & Harry K. Genant

  3. Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Raymond H. Flores & Marc C. Hochberg

  4. Medical and Research Services, Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Marc C. Hochberg

  5. 10 S. Pine St., MSTF 8-34, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Marc C. Hochberg

  6. Department of Radiology and Orthopaedic Surgery , University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Charles Resnik

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  1. J. Kathleen Tracy
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  2. Walter A. Meyer
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  3. Mikayel Grigoryan
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  5. Raymond H. Flores
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  8. Marc C. Hochberg
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Correspondence to Marc C. Hochberg.

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Tracy, J.K., Meyer, W.A., Grigoryan, M. et al. Racial differences in the prevalence of vertebral fractures in older men: the Baltimore Men’s Osteoporosis Study. Osteoporos Int 17, 99–104 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-005-1919-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-005-1919-z

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