title: The incidence of hip, forearm, humeral, ankle, and vertebral fragility fractures in Italy: results from a 3-year multicenter study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We aimed to assess the incidence and hospitalization rate of hip and "minor" fragility fractures in the Italian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a 3-year survey at 10 major Italian emergency departments to evaluate the hospitalization rate of hip, forearm, humeral, ankle, and vertebral fragility fractures in people 45 years or older between 2004 and 2006, both men and women. These data were compared with those recorded in the national hospitalizations database (SDO) to assess the overall incidence of fragility fractures occurring at hip and other sites, including also those events not resulting in hospital admissions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed 29,017 fractures across 3 years, with hospitalization rates of 93.0% for hip fractures, 36.3% for humeral fractures, 31.3% for ankle fractures, 22.6% for forearm/wrist fractures, and 27.6% for clinical vertebral fractures. According to the analyses performed with the Italian hospitalization database in year 2006, we estimated an annual incidence of 87,000 hip, 48,000 humeral, 36,000 ankle, 85,000 wrist, and 155,000 vertebral fragility fractures in people aged 45 years or older (thus resulting in almost 410,000 new fractures per year). Clinical vertebral fractures were recorded in 47,000 events per year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The burden of fragility fractures in the Italian population is very high and calls for effective preventive strategies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Tor Vergata Foundation University Hospital, University of Rome, Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, Rome, 00133, Italy. umberto.tarantino@uniroma2.it
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tarantino
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capone
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Planta
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Arienzo
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Letizia Mauro
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Impagliazzo
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Formica
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pallotta
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Patella
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spinarelli
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pazzaglia
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zarattini
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roselli
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Montanari
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sessa
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Privitera
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Verdoia
authors.forename: Costantino
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corradini
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feola
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Padolino
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saturnino
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scialdoni
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iolascon
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Brandi
authors.forename: Prisco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piscitelli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D005543:Forearm Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D025981:Hip Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006811:Humerus / Q000293:injuries*; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology