title: Vertebral compression fractures may increase mortality in male patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vertebral compression fracture (VCF) is frequent in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, little is known about whether VCF affects mortality in COPD patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether VCFs might increase death in COPD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective cohort study, we enrolled 254 COPD patients with a recent history of hospitalisation due to respiratory problems. Patients were assessed for VCF using quantitative morphometric analyses of lateral chest radiographs; 211 patients received follow-up examinations for 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 211 COPD patients analysed, 60 (28.4%) had VCF at enrolment. During the follow-up period, 33/60 (55.0%) patients with and 46/151 patients (30.5%) without VCF died (P = 0.003, log-rank test). Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that VCF is an independent risk factor for death after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, dyspnoea scale, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) and comorbidities (hazard ratio for VCF = 1.79, 95%CI 1.11-2.89, P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VCF might be an independent risk factor for death in male COPD patients.
authors: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: G-W
authors: GW
authors: Kim
authors: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cheongju St Mary's Hospital, Cheonju, Seoul, Korea.
authors: H-J
authors: HJ
authors: Joo
authors: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: T S
authors: TS
authors: Park
authors: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: S W
authors: SW
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Y J
authors: YJ
authors: Jung
authors: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: S-D
authors: SD
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Y-M
authors: YM
authors: Oh
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D050815:Fractures, Compression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011859:Radiography; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries*