title: Hospitalised osteoporotic vertebral fractures in Spain: analysis of the national hospital discharge registry.
abstract: This population-based study reveals clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of hospitalised osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures and indicates an association with a substantial hospital burden in Spain. These data provide a basis for assessing the impact of these fractures on the Spanish health-care system and to estimate future care requirements.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Vertebral fractures (VF) are recognised as the most frequent complication of osteoporosis. Our objective was to determine the clinico-epidemiological characteristics and health-care burden of hospitalised VF in Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  From the 2002 National Hospital Discharge Register, records for all osteoporosis-related VF in the Spanish population aged >or=30 years and over were retrieved. Diagnostic categories included the ICD-9-CM codes 805 and 733.xx. Population data were drawn from the National Statistics Institute.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 7,100 records were eligible for analysis. According to Deyo-adapted Charlson index, 62% of cases had no associated comorbidity. VF were the cause of hospitalisation in 52% of cases. Overall in-hospital mortality was 3.5%. Men had higher adjusted mortality than women. Mean hospital stay was 11.4+/-0.2 days. Identified cases amounted to a hospitalisation rate of 2.76 cases per 10,000 population aged >or=30 years. Direct inpatient hospital costs exceeded 41 million euros and accounted for 0.078% of Spanish expenditure on hospitalisations and specialised care in 2002.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The national discharge database reveals epidemiological features of hospitalised osteoporosis-attributable VF and indicates an association with a substantial hospital burden in Spain. Our data provide a basis for assessing the impact of these fractures on the Spanish health-care system and to estimate future care requirements.
authors.affiliation: Agency for Health Technology Assessment, Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs, Madrid, Spain. cbouza@isciii.es
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouza
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Amate
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality