Incidence of Symptomatic Vertebral Fractures Among Newly Diagnosed Autoimmune Diseases Initiating Glucocorticoid Therapy

Use of corticosteroids is not associated with repeated vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty within one year after the surgery in patient older than 50 years

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate whether corticosteroid use increases the incidence of repeated PVP or kyphoplasty patients older than 50 years.

METHODS

This study enrolled the data of 2,753 eligible patients from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database who were exposed to systemic corticosteroids for at least 3 months during the first year preceding the first PVP or kyphoplasty. These steroid users were matched 1:1 in age, sex, and the index date of surgery with non-user controls during the enrollment period. All patients were followed for 1 year after the first PVP or kyphoplasty. The incidence of repeated PVP or kyphoplasty was compared between the steroid users and controls. A Cox proportional hazards model was developed to account for multiple confounding factors.

RESULTS

The number of patients receiving repeated PVP or kyphoplasty was 233 (8.46%) and 205 (7.45%) in the corticosteroid and control groups, respectively. The Cox proportional hazards model revealed no association between corticosteroid use and repeated PVP or kyphoplasty.

CONCLUSIONS

Systemic corticosteroid use for longer than 3 months is not associated with repeated PVP or kyphoplasty within one year of surgery in patient older than 50 years old.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, Therapeutic study.