R. Honkanen et al., RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RISK-FACTORS AND FRACTURES DIFFER BY TYPE OF FRACTURE - A POPULATION-BASED STUDY OF 12192 PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN, Osteoporosis international, 8(1), 1998, pp. 25-31
Relationships between selected factors and fractures according to type
of fracture were retrospectively examined in 12192 women aged 47-56 y
ears responding to the baseline postal enquiry of the Kuopio Osteoporo
sis Study, Finland, in 1989. A total of 1358 women reported fractures
sustained during the previous 9.4 years, i.e. at ages 38-57 years. The
incidence of fractures per 1000 person-years was 17.2 after menopause
and 9.5 before (p<0.0001). The adjusted fracture risk was elevated in
smokers versus non-smokers (OR = 1.5; (95%CI = 1.3-1.9) and in those
with chronic health disorders versus the healthy (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.1
-1.5). Long-term work disability was associated with fractures indepen
dently of health disorders (OR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.1-1.6). Anthropometric
measures were not associated with the overall fracture risk. Menopause
was strongly and linearly related to wrist fracture but not to ankle
fracture. A 1 SD increase in body mass index decreased the risk of wri
st fracture by 21% (p = 0.0001) but increased that of ankle fracture b
y 24% (p = 0.002). Smoking was related to ankle fracture (OR = 2.2; 95
% CI 1.6-3.2) but not to wrist fracture (OR = 0.9; 95% CI 0.6-1.4). He
alth disorders were more markedly associated with fractures other than
those of the wrist or ankle. Relationships between several risk facto
rs and pre-and perimenopausal fractures vary by type of fracture. This
may affect, for example, the comparability of studies with varying fr
acture profiles.