High prevalence of low-trauma fracture in chronic pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVES

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is associated with risk factors that may negatively impact bone and mineral metabolism. The important clinical end point of osteoporosis is "low-trauma" fracture. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of "low-trauma" fracture in patients with CP, compared with fracture rates in "high-risk" gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses, for which metabolic bone disease screening guidelines are in place.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort database study examining patients with CP and "high-risk" GI illnesses seen at a single tertiary care center. Time points ranged between 31 July 1998 and 31 July 2008. The main outcome measure was "low-trauma" fracture prevalence using specific International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification fracture codes.

RESULTS

A total of 3,192 CP patients and 1,461,207 non-CP patients were included in the study. The fracture prevalence (patients with fracture per total patients) was as follows: controls, 1.1% (16,208/1,436,699); Crohn's disease, 3.0% (182/6057); CP, 4.8% (154/3192); cirrhosis, 4.8% (805/16,658); celiac disease, 5.0% (74/1480); and postgastrectomy, 5.4% (17/313). Prevalence for each group was statistically greater than controls (P<0.001). CP fracture prevalence was greater than controls (P<0.001) and Crohn's disease (P<0.001), and comparable with the remaining "high-risk" GI illness groups (P>0.05). The odds of fracture (odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI)) compared with controls, adjusted for age, gender, and race was: CP 2.4 (2.1, 2.9); Crohn's disease 1.7 (1.5, 2.0); gastrectomy 2.5 (1.5, 4.1); cirrhosis 2.6 (2.4, 2.7); and celiac disease 2.7 (2.1, 3.4). The odds of fracture for each disease group were statistically greater than controls (P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of low-trauma fracture in CP patients is comparable with or higher than that of "high-risk" GI illnesses, for which osteoporosis screening guidelines exist.