Racial differences in skeletal fragility but not osteoarthritis among women and men with cerebral palsy()

BACKGROUND: Adults with cerebral palsy (CP) have increased risk for skeletal fragility and osteoarthritis. However, racial differences in these outcomes have not been examined. Such knowledge could improve patient-specific clinical care for the prevention and management of these conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were racial differences in the prevalence of osteoporosis, all-cause fracture, and osteoarthritis among young and middle-aged adults with CP. METHODS: Data from 2016 were extracted from a random 20% sample of the Medicare fee-for-service database. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify 18–64 year olds with CP, as well as osteoporosis, all-cause fracture, osteoarthritis, and neurodevelopmental and noncommunicable disease comorbidities. RESULTS: Of the 16,488 adults with CP, 13,334 were White, 2477 were Black, and 677 were Hispanic. The age-standardized prevalence of osteoporosis (women: 12.9%, 9.0%, 8.3%, respectively; men: 9.2%, 4.8%, 7.9%, respectively) and fracture (women: 7.4%, 4.2%, 9.9%; men: 6.0%, 2.3%, 6.0%) was lower for Black adults with CP compared to White adults with CP (all p < 0.005). No racial differences were observed for age-standardized prevalence of osteoarthritis (women: 13.6%, 14.4%, 9.6%; men: 10.7%, 10.4%, 12.7%). The racial differences between Black and White adults with CP remained even after adjusting for age, U.S. region, neurodevelopmental comorbidities, and several noncommunicable diseases for osteoporosis (women: OR = 0.66, 99.5% CI = 0.48–0.91; men: OR = 0.51, 99.5% CI = 0.35–0.75) and fracture (women: OR = 0.57, 99.5% CI = 0.37–0.89; men: OR = 0.39, 99.5% CI = 0.23–0.68). CONCLUSIONS: Study findings suggest racial differences in skeletal fragility among young and middle-aged adults with CP, with White women and men with CP having greater risk compared to Black women and men with CP. This study found no evidence of racial differences in the prevalence of osteoarthritis.