Thoracic spine compression fractures in Finland.

The incidence and prevalence of thoracic spine compression fractures were studied in an extensive population sample of Finnish men and women. A segment of the population (57,440 persons) aged 15 years or older participated in the baseline health examinations; 17,557 of the 57,440 were reexamined approximately five years later. Compression fractures were identified from 100 X 100 mm thorax photofluorograms. In the whole Finnish population aged 15 years or older, the incidence rate of compression fractures per 100,000 person-years was estimated to be 31.6 in men and 36.8 in women, with a prevalence rate of 0.75% in men and 0.44% in women. In men, the prevalence and incidence increased gradually with age, whereas in women an abrupt rise was found after the age of 65; this reflects differences in patterns of age-related osteoporosis between the sexes.