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Updated: Jul 13, 2025

Fragility Assessment of Bovine Cortical Bone Using Scratch Tests
Published on: November 30, 2017
[Brittle bones]
Mathilde Fargeat1, Fanny Blondet2, Georgios E Papadakis3
1Service de médecine interne générale, Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève, 1211 Genève 14.
Abstract:
The use of corticosteroids is common in our clinical practice. Cortico-induced osteoporosis should be taken into consideration when using a dosage higher than 7.5 mg/d of prednisone or equivalent for a minimum of 3 months. We describe the case of a 69-year-old female patient who received long-term corticosteroid treatment for low back pain and developed secondary vertebral compression fractures. This case illustrates the importance of assessing fracture risk when prescribing corticosteroids, in order to offer preventive measures and introduce (in subjects with high risk) prophylactic treatments aiming to reduce the risk of irreversible consequences.
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