title: Prevalence of vertebral fractures and quality of life in a sample of postmenopausal Brazilian women with osteoporosis.
abstract: The prevalence of vertebral fracture was high in postmenopausal Brazilian osteoporotic women; quality of life was impaired regardless of vertebral fractures, despite a direct correlation between the number of vertebral fractures and a worse quality of life score.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of vertebral fractures (VF), quality of life (QOL), association between number of VF and QOL scores, and correlate the factors associated with QOL in a sample of postmenopausal Brazilian women with osteoporosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of 126 postmenopausal osteoporotic women aged 55-80 years was conducted. Women were interviewed about sociodemographic and clinical data, responded to QUALEFFO-41 questionnaire, and underwent vertebral radiography to measure the anterior, mean, and posterior height at each vertebra (T4 to L5). VF were classified as anterior wedge, posterior wedge, central collapse, and crush. Data was expressed as means (±SD) and frequencies, Mann-Whitney or Student's T tests were used to compare means, and odds ratio and 95 % confidence interval were used for multiple regression analysis. Values were significant when P value < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age was 65.7 ± 6.3 years, age at menopause was 46.5 ± 6.8 years and T score of the lumbar spine was -2.77 ± 0.58. The prevalence of VF was 34.1 % (43/126) and the most prevalent type of VF was anterior wedge (45.9 %). There was no difference in QUALEFFO-41 scores between women with and without VF, although there was a direct correlation between QOL scores and number of VF. Factors associated with worse QOL were non-white skin color, obesity, unemployment, sedentary lifestyle, low level of school education, and non-use of osteoporosis drugs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a high prevalence of VF in Brazilian postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. QOL was impaired regardless of VF, despite a direct correlation between number of VF and a worse QOL score.
authors.affiliation: Women's Integrated Healthcare Center, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Néville
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Ferreira
authors.forename: Raimunda Beserra
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arthuso
authors.forename: Aarão Mendes
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pinto-Neto
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Caserta
authors.forename: Lúcia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Costa-Paiva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D017698:Postmenopause; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D011859:Radiography; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents