Bone Abstracts

Objective: To evaluate the changes of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) 36 months after fracture in patients from Lithuania following vertebral or forearm fractures.

Material and methods: Patients aged 50 years and older, with low energy trauma clinical vertebral fracture (VFx) or distal forearm fracture (FFx), enrolled and observed for 18 months in the International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic fractures Study (ICUROS) in Lithuania, were further interviewed 24 and 36 months after the fracture. HRQoL was measured using EQ-5D. Exclusion criteria were significant changes of health status which could influence the quality of life during the follow up. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of sex, age, education and income to EQ-5D index.

Results: In total, 256 persons were included in this study: 65 with VFx (51 women and 14 men) and 191 with FFx (179 women and 12 men). Results of the evaluation at 36-month after the fracture showed that the patients with FFx had better HRQoL compared to the VFx group, although the quality of life did not achieve the pre-fracture level in either group. Pain/discomfort and usual activities were mostly affected dimensions of EQ-5D, in both fracture sites. Before VFx, 85.6% of patients had no back pain, compared to 13.8% 36 months after fracture (P<0.001). In patients with VFx, anxiety was reported more frequently 36 months after than before fracture (by 57 and 18.9% of subjects, respectively; P<0.001). At 36 months after FFx, the mobility decreased to 67.5 and 77% of subjects were able to look after themselves without problems. In patients with FFx, higher age and lower educational level were significantly associated with lower EQ-5D index scores.

Conclusion: Health-related quality of life did not achieve the pre-fracture level 36 months after a vertebral or a distal forearm fracture.