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Undiagnosed Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in an Octogenarian During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are frequently misdiagnosed or under-recognized in the older population, leading to disease progression and reduced quality of life. This case of an 87-year-old woman with acute back pain highlights the importance of early diagnosis and management of fragility fractu...

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Autores principales: Ng, Gabriel Siu Nam, Lee, Linda Yin-king, Chu, Eric Chun-Pu
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Cureus 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10162351/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37153836
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.38585
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author Ng, Gabriel Siu Nam
Lee, Linda Yin-king
Chu, Eric Chun-Pu
author_facet Ng, Gabriel Siu Nam
Lee, Linda Yin-king
Chu, Eric Chun-Pu
author_sort Ng, Gabriel Siu Nam
collection PubMed
description Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are frequently misdiagnosed or under-recognized in the older population, leading to disease progression and reduced quality of life. This case of an 87-year-old woman with acute back pain highlights the importance of early diagnosis and management of fragility fractures. During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, patients with a history of well-managed osteoporosis experienced worsening symptoms of vertebral collapse due to activity limitations and prolonged immobilization. The initial diagnosis of spinal stenosis delayed appropriate treatment for four months. Serial magnetic resonance imaging revealed compression fractures at L1 and L3, and a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan showed osteoporosis with a T-score of −3.2. Pharmacological therapy, including bisphosphonates, was initiated. A comprehensive rehabilitation program with a multidisciplinary approach, with bracing, and lifestyle changes helped stabilize the spine, reduce pain, and maximized function. Her condition improved with close monitoring and guidance during home exercises. This case exemplifies the necessity of a precise and timely diagnosis of osteoporotic vertebral fractures to initiate management and mitigate disease progression.
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spelling pubmed-101623512023-05-06 Undiagnosed Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in an Octogenarian During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic Ng, Gabriel Siu Nam Lee, Linda Yin-king Chu, Eric Chun-Pu Cureus Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are frequently misdiagnosed or under-recognized in the older population, leading to disease progression and reduced quality of life. This case of an 87-year-old woman with acute back pain highlights the importance of early diagnosis and management of fragility fractures. During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, patients with a history of well-managed osteoporosis experienced worsening symptoms of vertebral collapse due to activity limitations and prolonged immobilization. The initial diagnosis of spinal stenosis delayed appropriate treatment for four months. Serial magnetic resonance imaging revealed compression fractures at L1 and L3, and a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan showed osteoporosis with a T-score of −3.2. Pharmacological therapy, including bisphosphonates, was initiated. A comprehensive rehabilitation program with a multidisciplinary approach, with bracing, and lifestyle changes helped stabilize the spine, reduce pain, and maximized function. Her condition improved with close monitoring and guidance during home exercises. This case exemplifies the necessity of a precise and timely diagnosis of osteoporotic vertebral fractures to initiate management and mitigate disease progression. Cureus 2023-05-05 /pmc/articles/PMC10162351/ /pubmed/37153836 http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.38585 Text en Copyright © 2023, Ng et al. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Ng, Gabriel Siu Nam
Lee, Linda Yin-king
Chu, Eric Chun-Pu
Undiagnosed Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in an Octogenarian During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic
title Undiagnosed Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in an Octogenarian During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic
title_full Undiagnosed Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in an Octogenarian During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic
title_fullStr Undiagnosed Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in an Octogenarian During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic
title_full_unstemmed Undiagnosed Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in an Octogenarian During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic
title_short Undiagnosed Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in an Octogenarian During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic
title_sort undiagnosed osteoporotic vertebral fractures in an octogenarian during the coronavirus disease pandemic
topic Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10162351/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37153836
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.38585
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