Risk factors for lumbar spine Fx ID'd in U.S. military cohort

(HealthDay)—The overall incidence rate of lumbar fractures was 0.38 per 1,000 person-years from 2001 to 2010 among a U.S. military cohort, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.

Andrew J. Schoenfeld, M.D., from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, and colleagues searched the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database to identify all individuals who sustained lumbar spine fracture injuries between 2001 and 2010. Data on race, rank, branch of military service, sex, and age were obtained for all individuals identified with lumbar spine fractures and for the whole military population during the same time period.

The researchers found that the overall incidence of lumbar fractures was 0.38 per 1,000 person-years from 2001 to 2010. Significant predictors of lumbar spine fracture included male sex, white race, enlisted ranks, service in the Army and Marines, and age. The highest rate of lumbar fractures (0.48 per 1,000 person-years) was seen with service in the Army.

"In this study, males, whites, enlisted personnel, those serving in the Army and Marines, and individuals aged 20 to 24 or greater than 40 were found to be at an increased risk of lumbar fracture," the authors write.