Widespread Pain Contributes to Fracture Risk in Older Adults

A study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research suggests widespread pain is an independent contributor to fracture risk among older adults, reports Healio . Analysis of data from 1,099 adults found fractures occurring at any site and categorized them as any fractures, vertebral, nonvertebral, hip, and major fractures. Subjects reported 450 fractures at baseline, and 154 new ones over 10.7 years of follow-up. "Those who reported a greater number of painful sites were more likely to be female, heavier and shorter, have a greater body-mass index, be physically inactive, have more comorbidities, a higher reported use of pain medication, a greater falls risk score, as well as higher prevalent and incident fractures," the researchers noted. Prevalent fractures grew with increasing number of painful sites in a dose-response manner for fractures at any site, nonvertebral sites, and hip, while results for major and vertebral fractures were insignificant. Subjects reporting pain at five to seven sites had a higher risk for incident fractures at any site, major fracture, and vertebral fracture, versus participants reporting pain at two sites or fewer, even following adjustment for falls risk and bone mineral density.