Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(Supplement):S22-S26 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a6809

Long-term compliance of patients with osteoporosis treatment and its effect to fracture occurrence

Róbert Čellár¹, Erik Dorko², Kvetoslava Rimárová², Matúš Bereš¹, David Sokol¹, Ahmad Gharaibeh¹, Martin Folvarský¹, István Mitró¹, Viliam Knap³

¹ Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology of Locomotory Apparatus, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University and Louis Pasteur University Hospital in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic

² Department of Public Health and Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic

³ Department of Physiatry, Balneology and Medical Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University and Louis Pasteur University Hospital in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of long-term treatment of patients with osteoporosis being actively managed by medical staff and following the therapeutic methods and principles of treatment of osteoporosis.

Methods: The medical records of patients which were examined in an osteological outpatient office first time in the year 2009 were reviewed. The results of densitometry examinations were compared with the results from the year 2019. Patients regularly absolved densitometry, properly and regularly took prescribed medicaments for either anti-osteoporotic treatment or for supplementation of vitamin D and calcium. The cohort consisted of 100 patients. Next, we split the group into 3 categories - less than 65 years of age, 65-75 years of age and lastly over 75 years of age. By default, we assessed and compared the T-scores (deviation from the average value of bone density of 30 years old healthy person) in the area of the proximal femur and in the area of the lumbar spine. The bone mineral density (BMD) values in g/cm² and their relation to corresponding T-score from set area were also reviewed.

Results: Based on the results of densitometry, osteoporosis was diagnosed in 41 patients, manifest osteoporosis in 14 and osteopenia in 36, nine patients had their bone density value within the normal range. The average T-score values of "total hip" were -1.42, "neck" -2.08, BMD values of "total hip" were 0.802 g/cm², "L1-L4" -2.05, "L total" -1.45, and BMD of "L total" was 0.886 g/cm². In the time of the last examination, the T-score (disregarding the type of treatment) raised from the initial value by 40.16% in the area of lumbar spine, by 56.69% in the area of "total hip", and by 40.16% in the area of "neck". While sorting the cohort based on age, we detected a similar effect of active management of treatment in each of the 3 categories.

Conclusion: Cooperation of the patients during the treatment of a chronic disease requiring long-term usage of medicaments is often problematic and it is necessary to devote adequate attention to it. The solution to improve the treatment can be active management of the patient by the medical facility or by the medical staff.

Keywords: osteoporosis, osteoporosis treatment, compliance

Received: February 20, 2021; Revised: January 10, 2022; Accepted: January 10, 2022; Published: June 27, 2022  Show citation