Prevalence and Risk Factors for Non-Vertebral Fractures in Patients Receiving Oral Glucocorticoids

Introduction: glucocorticoids taken orally increase the risk of fractures. it has been noted that a dose as low as 2.5 mg/day increases the risk of vertebral fracture. what is less clear is the possible influence of other risk factors for osteoporosis on the presence of non-vertebral fractures in patients taking glucocorticoids. patients and methods: a cross-sectional study, performed on 513 men and women from spain, who were taking at least 7.5 mg/day of oral prednisone for a minimum of 3 months. a questionnaire was developed, through which information on risk factors was collected. results: 28.3% of the patients who were taking glucocorticoids at a daily oral dose of 7.5 mg/ day for a minimum of 3 months had suffered at least one non-vertebral fracture. the risk increased with age, the number of months the glucocorticoids had been taken, the presence of falls in the last year and, above all, with a maternal history of hip fracture. conclusions: in patients taking oral glucocorticoids for over 3 months at doses higher than 7.5 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent, the prevalence of non-vertebral fractures was 28.3%. some risk factors associated with the presence of these fractures were identified. the duration of glucocorticoid use appears to be more strongly related to the presence of non-verte- bral fractures than the daily dose.