Prevalence and Risk of Vertebral Fractures in Primary Hyperparathyroidism: A Nested Case-Control Study

Prevalence of vertebral fractures (VFx) in primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) remains uncertain. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of VFx, investigate potential risk factors associated with VFx, and whether bone mineral density (BMD) differs between PHPT and osteoporotic patients with VFx. Through the Danish National Patient Register, we identified patients diagnosed with PHPT from 2005 to 2015. The diagnosis was verified by reviewing biochemical findings, and X-ray reports were reviewed by two investigators. Osteoporotic patients with VFx were identified from our outpatient clinic and matched on age and sex with PHPT patients with VFx. We identified 792 PHPT patients among whom spine X-ray was available from 588 patients. VFx were present in 122 (21%) patients and were equally frequent among sexes (77% females). Fractured patients were older (70 versus 63 years) and had lower heights (163 versus 166 cm) compared with nonfractured patients (p all < 0.02). After stratification by age groups, the prevalence of VFx differed significantly between sexes (p < 0.01). Ionized calcium and parathyroid hormone did not differ between groups. BMD at total hip and forearm were lower in fractured compared with nonfractured patients (p < 0.03 for both) after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). Compared with osteoporotic patients with VFx (n = 108), BMD at the lumbar spine was higher in PHPT patients with VFx (n = 108) (p < 0.01). This did not change by excluding patients with lumbar VFx (p < 0.01). The severity of PHPT assessed by biochemistry does not seem to be associated with risk of VFx. Compared with osteoporosis, VFx seems to occur at a higher BMD in PHPT. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.