This prospective cohorts study includes patients
who were hospitalized, due to osteoporotic fractures, from
October 2004 to April 2005, at the Orthopaedics and Trauma
Department at Hospital Clínico Universitario of Valencia. This
study is included in GIOS Project (Integral Management
Project for patients older than 50 years suffering osteoporotic
fracture). A total of 449 patients have been included in the
study, 59 patients suffered osteoporotic vertebral fracture and
390 patients suffering non-vertebral osteoporotic fractures,
such as hip, distal radius and proximal humerus. The risk factors
of both groups have been analyzed and matched by age
to be compared. It has been found incidence differences in
age between both groups, as well as a greater influence of
non-related age factors in the osteoporotic vertebral fracture
group. From the results, it can be appreciated that not even a
10% of the patients included in the study, were previously treated
against osteoporosis, being desirable to detect patients
with a high risk of suffering this type of fracture, in order to
reduce the risk factors and start preventive treatment. Due to
the growth of elder population, the number of osteoporotic
fractures will increase substantially in future years, unless
cost-effective control programs as GIOS are implanted.

This prospective cohorts study includes patients
who were hospitalized, due to osteoporotic fractures, from
October 2004 to April 2005, at the Orthopaedics and Trauma
Department at Hospital Clínico Universitario of Valencia. This
study is included in GIOS Project (Integral Management
Project for patients older than 50 years suffering osteoporotic
fracture). A total of 449 patients have been included in the
study, 59 patients suffered osteoporotic vertebral fracture and
390 patients suffering non-vertebral osteoporotic fractures,
such as hip, distal radius and proximal humerus. The risk factors
of both groups have been analyzed and matched by age
to be compared. It has been found incidence differences in
age between both groups, as well as a greater influence of
non-related age factors in the osteoporotic vertebral fracture
group. From the results, it can be appreciated that not even a
10% of the patients included in the study, were previously treated
against osteoporosis, being desirable to detect patients
with a high risk of suffering this type of fracture, in order to
reduce the risk factors and start preventive treatment. Due to
the growth of elder population, the number of osteoporotic
fractures will increase substantially in future years, unless
cost-effective control programs as GIOS are implanted.