Predictors of treatment with osteoporosis medications after recent fragility fractures in a multinational cohort of postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the proportion of untreated women who reported receiving treatment after incident fracture and to identify factors that predict treatment across an international spectrum of individuals.


METHODS
Prospective observational study. Self-administered questionnaires were mailed at baseline and 1 year.


METHODS
Multinational cohort of noninstitutionalized women recruited from 723 primary physician practices in 10 countries.


METHODS
Sixty thousand three hundred ninety-three postmenopausal women aged 55 and older were recruited with a 2:1 oversampling of women aged 65 and older.


METHODS
Data collected included participant demographics, medical history, fracture occurrence, medications, and risk factors for fracture. Anti-osteoporosis medications (AOMs) included estrogen, selective estrogen receptor modulators, bisphosphonates, calcitonin, parathyroid hormone, and strontium.


RESULTS
After the first year of follow-up, 1,075 women reported an incident fracture. Of these, 17% had started AOM, including 15% of those with a single fracture and 35% with multiple fractures. Predictors of treatment included baseline calcium use (P = .01), baseline diagnosis of osteoporosis (P < .001), and fracture type (P < .001). In multivariable analysis, women taking calcium supplements at baseline (odds ratio (OR) = 1.67) and with a baseline diagnosis of osteoporosis (OR = 2.55) were more likely to be taking AOM. Hip fracture (OR = 2.61), spine fracture (OR = 6.61), and multiple fractures (OR = 3.79) were associated with AOM treatment. Age, global region, and use of high-risk medications were not associated with treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
More than 80% of older women with new fractures were not treated, despite the availability of AOM. Important factors associated with treatment in this international cohort included diagnosis of osteoporosis before the incident fracture, spine fracture, and to a lesser degree, hip fracture.
Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. GreenspanS@dom.pitt.edu
Susan L
SL
Greenspan
Allison
A
Wyman
Frederick H
FH
Hooven
Silvano
S
Adami
Stephen
S
Gehlbach
Frederick A
FA
Anderson
Steven
S
Boone
Andrea Z
AZ
Lacroix
Robert
R
Lindsay
J Coen
JC
Netelenbos
Johannes
J
Pfeilschifter
Stuart
S
Silverman
Ethel S
ES
Siris
Nelson B
NB
Watts
D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires