Future Fracture Risk in Upper Extremity Fracture and Non-Fracture Patients.

BACKGROUND: Upper extremity (UE) fragility fractures are common and strong predictors of subsequent fractures. To investigate the relative importance of an UE fragility fracture in determining future fracture risk, we conducted a cross-sectional study to compare future fracture risk between patients presenting for osteoporosis evaluation after an UE fragility fracture and a similarly aged cohort of patients without an UE fracture. METHODS: In all, 129 UE fracture patients seen in our bone health clinic (BHC) and 114 non-fracture UE fracture patients seen in an UE clinic completed clinic intake surveys assessing for fracture risk factors. Prefracture fracture risk (PFFR) and fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) scores estimated the future fracture risks at the timepoint before and after the UE fragility fracture event, respectively. The primary study outcome was the 10-year risk of future fracture. RESULTS: The 10-year probability of major osteoporotic and hip fractures were significantly higher among the BHC group when estimated with FRAX. When estimated with PFFR score, there was no difference in the 10-year probability of hip fracture between the groups. Prevalence of secondary osteoporosis and glucocorticoid use was higher in the BHC group, and prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis was higher in the UE clinic group. CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the importance of an UE fragility fracture in determining the risk of future fracture. A fragility fracture of the UE should be considered a sentinel event and physicians who evaluate these patients should recognize them as a high-risk group for future hip fracture.

Impact of an Outpatient Fracture Liaison Service on Osteoporosis Evaluation Among Patients With Upper Extremity Fragility Fracture.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of implementation of an outpatient fracture liaison service (FLS) on completion rates of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and screening labs including 25-OH vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in patients with upper extremity (UE) fragility fractures. METHODS: At our institution, 367 patients were treated in 2014-2015 for UE fragility fractures of the distal radius and proximal humerus before implementation of our outpatient FLS and 395 patients in 2017-2018 after implementation. Retrospective chart review was conducted to identify completed DXA scans within 2 years of fracture treatment and completed 25-OH vitamin D and PTH labs within 1 year of fracture treatment. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in the demographics of patients treated for distal radial and proximal humeral fragility fractures during the 2014-2015 and 2017-2018 time periods. Implementation of the FLS resulted in a 9.9% increase (P value = .021) in completed DXA scans within 2 years of fracture treatment. Completed 25-OH vitamin D and PTH labs saw a significant increase of 17.1% and 23.8%, respectively (P values < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of an outpatient FLS can help to improve osteoporosis evaluation with completed DXA scans and 25-OH vitamin D and PTH labs.