Risk of Hip Fractures Among Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis

With limited evidence on whether ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is correlated with an increased risk of incident hip fractures due to risk of falls and osteoporosis, researchers examined the risk of hip fractures in a large cohort of patients with AS.

“This study found that ankylosing spondylitis patients developed hip fractures earlier and more often compared to a matched cohort," reported researchers. 

Men and women diagnosed with AS between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2018 were included in the retrospective cohort study.

To determine the hazard ratio for hip fractures researchers utilized Cox regression models while adjusting for confounders defined in a casual inference framework.

The study included 5909 patients with AS with a mean age of 49 years, 3762 (64%) men, 3638 (62%) patients born in Israel, and 1532 (26%) patients of low residential socioeconomic status, as well as 28,671 matched patients.

Hip fractures were developed earlier among patients with AS (74 [13] vs 79 [10] years, P = .002). Results showed hip fractures and AS were associated in the unadjusted (HR = 1.52, 95% CI [1.23-1.88]) and in the adjusted models (HR = 1.56, 95% CI [1.27-1.93]).

An association was also observed in both men (HR = 1.65, 95% CI [1.25-2.18]) and women (HR = 1.48, 95% CI [1.07-2.05]).

“This study suggests that ankylosing spondylitis patients might benefit from more proactive screening, mitigation, and prevention of risk factors for hip fractures,” concluded study authors.

Reference:
Tsur AM, David P, Watad A, Nissan D, Cohen AD, Amital H. Ankylosing Spondylitis and the risk of hip fractures: a matched cohort study. J Gen Intern Med. Published online April 11, 2022. doi:10.1007/s11606-021-07241-2