Fractures are the most serious consequence of osteoporosis. Non-vertebral and non-hip fractures are seldom recognised as important, even though they account for the majority of all fractures. The most prevalent localisations are distal radius, proximal humerus, ribs, clavicle, and the pelvis. According to the results from large phase III clinical trials for placebo groups, their incidence ranges from 4.9 % to 12.0 %. Hospital morbidity data in Croatia in 2006 show that peripheral non-hip fractures ranked among the leading fifteen injuries, accounting for 23.7 % of all injuries in patients aged 60 years and above. Risk factors for non-hip and non-vertebral fractures are similar to other osteoporotic fractures, and the main are low bone mineral density and earlier fractures. Quality of life is considerably affected by these fractures, and medical costs are very high, soaring as high as 36.9 % of all national medical costs in the USA. Nonvertebral non-hip fractures need more attention, which was also recognised by the European regulatory bodies that approve use of anti-osteoporotic drugs. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol 2008;59:53-58 Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease and one of the most serious public health problems. It is estimated that around 43 million women in Europe have osteoporosis and that in the year 2000, women aged over 50 years had 2.8 million fractures (1). The lifetime risk for any osteoporotic fracture in 50-yearold women is 46 % in Sweden and 53 % in Great Britain (2).
KEY WORDS: bone mineral density, medical costs, non-vertebral fractures, osteoporosis, quality of life Kor{i} M, Grazio S. NON-HIP PERIPHERAL OSTEOPOROTIC FRACTURESMain attention in osteoporosis is focused on the spine and hip fractures. However, there are insufficient data on the epidemiology and consequences of other osteoporotic fractures.For 45-year-old people the lifetime risks of shoulder and forearm fractures are 13.3 % and 21.5 % in women and 4.4 % and 5.2 % in men, respectively (3). Ten-year and 15-year risks for all fractures increase until the age of 80. After that, due to the competitive risk of fracture and death, they approach the lifetime risk of fracture. Peripheral non-hip fractures account for 90 % of all fractures until the age of 80 and for 59 % after that age (4).Data from placebo groups included in large phase III clinical trials are very useful in analysing the incidence of peripheral fractures. The incidences range between 4.9 % and 12 %, and more often refer to all peripheral fractures, rather than for specific sites (5-8).In a large population-based three-year study in England, the annual fracture incidence was 19 per 100,000 people for metacarpal bones and 243 per 100,000 for distal forearm, with significant differences in men-to-women ratios between metacarpal bones (0.16) and distal radius (1.33) (Table 1) (9). Until the age of 55 years, fractures were more often in men and after that age in women (9). Similar data were found in a ten-year trial in England and Wales (10). The most frequent fracture sites ...