Incidence and non-union rate of tibia fractures in adults with Osteogenesis Imperfecta: a retrospective cohort study of an expert clinic of 402 patients with 42 fractures.

Abstract

Purpose Tibia fractures are the most common fractures seen in adults and also lead to the most non-unions. Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is characterized by an increased bone fragility and a higher risk of fractures. No previous studies have been published concerning the incidence of tibia fractures and non-unions in adults with OI. This study aims to give an overview of the incidence of tibia fractures and non-unions in adult OI patients. MethodsIt is a retrospective, descriptive study where all medical charts of adult patients in the OI database of our OI expert clinic were analyzed for tibia fractures between 2008 and 2020. Tibia fracture incidence, non-union rate, treatment modality and potential risk factors were determined.ResultsThe database consisted of 402 patients of which 34 patients had suffered one or more tibia fractures, resulting in 42 fractures. The incidence of a tibia fracture in OI adults is 870 per 100.000 person-years. Two out of 42 fractures led to a non-union (5%). It was not possible to adjust for risk factors or type of treatment. ConclusionThere is a higher incidence of tibia fractures in OI patients, but a comparable non-union rate to the general population. With only 2 non-unions it is not possible to draw conclusions on the influence of risk factors or treatment of tibia fractures in OI.