Certain fractures should alert the clinician to the possibility of osteoporosis.
Bones most commonly fractured in a patient with osteoporosis:
(1) vertebra
(2) proximal femur
(3) wrist or distal forearm
(4) rib
Other bones that are commonly fractured include:
(1) humerus
(2) fifth metatarsal
(3) pelvis
(4) clavicle
(5) distal fibula
(6) toe
(7) hand
Clinical features:
(1) spontaneous fracture or after relatively minor trauma
(2) fracture in a postmenopausal woman or elderly male
(3) fracture in a patient with one or more risk factors for osteoporosis
(4) exclusion of causes of pathologic fractures (cancer, infection, etc)
(5) low bone mass
(6) past history of fracture after minor trauma
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Specialty: Surgery, orthopedic, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, Surgery, general
