title: Vertebral fracture and cause-specific mortality: a prospective population study of 3,210 men and 3,730 women with 30 years of follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vertebral fractures predict mortality, but little is known about their associations with the causes of death. We studied vertebral fractures for prediction of cause-specific mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nationally representative sample of 3,210 men and 3,730 women participated Mini-Finland health survey in 1978-1980. Vertebral fractures at the Th1-Th12 levels were identified from chest radiographs at baseline. Cox's proportional hazard model was used to estimate the strength of association between vertebral fracture and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relative risk (95% confidence interval) of death from natural causes was 1.49 (0.89-2.48) in men and 0.89 (0.60-1.31) in women with vertebral fractures (adjusted for age, body mass index, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, educational level, smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity and self-rated general health). Among women the adjusted relative risk of an injury death was 8.51 (3.48-20.77), whereas none of the men with vertebral fracture died due to an injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The patterns of mortality predicted by fracture in the thoracic spine differ between men and women.
authors: National Institute for Health and Welfare, Mannerheimintie 166, 00271 Helsinki, Finland. ville.puisto@helsinki.fi
authors: Ville
authors: V
authors: Puisto
authors: Harri
authors: H
authors: Rissanen
authors: Markku
authors: M
authors: Heliövaara
authors: Olli
authors: O
authors: Impivaara
authors: Tuomas
authors: T
authors: Jalanko
authors: Heikki
authors: H
authors: Kröger
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Knekt
authors: Arpo
authors: A
authors: Aromaa
authors: Ilkka
authors: I
authors: Helenius
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