Updated incidence rates of fragility fractures in Italy: extension study 2002-2008

Objectives. We aimed to update the incidence rates of major fragility fractures in Italy, including those which do not result systematically in hospital admissions, on the basis of hospitalization rates provided in our previous researches. Methods. We analyzed italian national hospital discharge data from year 2002 to 2008 in order to determine age- and sexspecific incidence rates of hip, vertebral, humeral, and forearm fractures occurred in people aged 40 to 100 years of age. Re-hospitalizations of the same patients have been excluded from the analysis. Hospital discharge data have been adjusted taking into account recently published information concerning fracture-specific hospitalization rates. Results. We estimated a total of 91,494 hip fractures in year 2008 among people aged 40 to 100 years old, with a +18.1% increase across the seven-year period. Women aged >75 years old (n=55,950) accounted for about 60% of total fractures observed both in males and females. Concerning males, the highest incidence was observed between 80 and 84 years old (about 5,000 hip fractures). Overall incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants computed for hip fractures was 283.5, with marked age- and sex-specific differences. Clinical vertebral fractures were estimated to be almost 61,000 in 2008, with a +6.3% increase over seven years. Overall incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants computed for clinical vertebral fractures was 189.0, but this value doubled between 75 and 95 years of age. For the same year 2008, we estimated a total of 57,400 humeral and 94,000 forearm/wrist fractures, with a +13.2% and +0.7% increase over the seven-year period, respectively. Overall humeral fractures incidence per 100,000 was estimated in 178.0, with highest rates (up to 600 and over) observed in women between 75 and 95 years of age, while incidence per 100,000 for wrist fractures was computed in 298.0, with top values observed in women between aged 55 years old and over. Conclusion. The burden of major osteoporotic fractures in Italy is still increasing. Preventive strategies aimed to reduce fractures incidence should be carried out at regional leve