What are the complications of osteoporotic fragility fractures?
Vertebral fractures cause loss of height, anterior kyphosis (dowager’s hump), reduced pulmonary function (each fracture decreases forced vital capacity by 9%), and an increased mortality rate. Approximately one-third of all vertebral fractures are painful, but two-thirds are asymptomatic. Hip fractures are associated with permanent disability in nearly 50% of patients and with a 20% excess mortality rate compared with the age-matched nonfracture population.
