Increased incidence of vertebral fractures in German adults from 2009 to 2019 and the analysis of secondary diagnoses, treatment, costs, and in-hospital mortality

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to present the nationwide rates of hospitalized patients with vertebral fractures over one decade and to comprehensively analyze the treatment characteristics and direct costs incurred in 2019. Therefore, the trends in the incidence rate were quantified based on annual ICD-10 diagnosis codes from all German medical facilities between 2009 and 2019, provided by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The ICD-10 Codes “S12.0-2; S22.0-; S32.0-, and S32.1-2” were evaluated. The relative change from 2009 through 2019 was determined. Using data from the Institute for Hospital Remuneration Systems (InEK) for 2019 the secondary diagnoses, OPS-codes, intensive care unit (ICU) treatment, in-hospital mortality, the proportion of G-DRGs and cumulative costs were evaluated. The documented number of vertebral fractures increased by 45.6% between 2009 and 2019 to an incidence of 150.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. The lumbar spine was most commonly affected with an incidence of 70.5/100,000 inhabitants in 2019 (46.8% of all vertebral fractures). The highest increases were seen in the numbers of subaxial cervical fractures (+ 121.2%) and sacral fractures (+ 306.6%). Of all vertebral fractures in 2019, 63.7% were diagnosed in women and 69.0% in patients aged 70 years or older. Osteoporosis was documented in 17.9% of cases as a concomitant diagnosis. In 10.1% of all cases, an ICU treatment was documented. The in-hospital mortality was 2.0% in 2019. I68D was the most frequently used G-DRG code, accounting for 33.3% of cases. The total direct costs for inpatient treatment in 2019 amounted to €589,205,715. The evaluation of 955,091 vertebral fractures showed a sharp increase in the nation-wide incidence rate. The presented age and sex distribution, the comorbidity profile and the in-hospital mortality rate indicate the importance of comprehensive geriatric assessment and emphasize the need for spinal care centers to be established.