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Survival following vertebral compression fractures in population over 65 years old
Raquel Gutiérrez-González1,2, Ana Royuela3, Alvaro Zamarron4
1Department of Neurosurgery, Puerta de Hierro University Hospital, IDIPHISA, Manuel de Falla 1, 28222, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain. rgutierrezgonzalez@yahoo.es.
Background:
Lower mortality has been demonstrated when vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are treated surgically (vertebral augmentation) vs. conservatively.
Aims:
To analyze the overall survival in patients over 65 who suffer a VCF, to review the principal causes of death, and to detect which factors are associated with a greater risk of mortality.
Methods:
Patients over 65 years old diagnosed with acute, non-pathologic thoracic or lumbar VCF, treated consecutively from January 2017 to December 2020, were retrospectively selected. Those patients with follow-ups under 2 years or who required arthrodesis were excluded. Overall survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences in survival were tested through the log-rank test. Multivariable Cox regression was used to assess the association of covariates and time to death.
Results:
A total of 492 cases were included. Overall mortality was 36.2%. Survival rate at 1-, 12-, 24-, 48-, and 60-month follow-up was 97.4%, 86.6%, 78.0%, 64.4%, and 59.4%, respectively. Infection was the leading cause of death. The independent factors associated with a higher mortality risk were age, male, oncologic history, non-traumatic mechanism, and comorbidity during hospitalization. No statistical difference was found when comparing the two survival curves by treatment (vertebral augmentation vs. conservative) over time.
Conclusion:
Overall mortality rate was 36.2% after a median follow-up of 50.5 months (95% CI 48.2; 54.2). Age, male sex, history of oncological disease, non-traumatic mechanism of the fracture, and any comorbidity during hospitalization were identified as variables independently associated with a higher risk of mortality following a VCF in the elderly.
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