Exploring Disease-Specific Risk Factors for Vertebral Fractures in Systemic Sclerosis: Insights from the ScleroRER Study Group

TL;DR

This study identifies general and systemic sclerosis-specific risk factors for vertebral fractures in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Contribution

The study introduces gastrointestinal involvement as a novel SSc-specific predictor of vertebral fractures.

Findings

Family history of fragility fractures was a strong predictor of vertebral fractures (OR 11.8).

Gastrointestinal involvement showed a suggestive association with vertebral fractures (OR 4.8).

Osteoporosis prevalence was 52.4% among the studied systemic sclerosis patients.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients frequently develop osteoporosis; however, vertebral fracture risk factors remain poorly characterized. This study identifies general and SSc-specific predictors of vertebral fractures in SSc patients undergoing osteoporosis evaluation. Methods: This multicenter cross-sectional study enrolled consecutive SSc patients meeting ACR/EULAR 2013 criteria with suspected osteoporosis. Data included demographics, disease characteristics, bone density (DXA), and vertebral imaging. Stepwise logistic regression analyzed fracture associations (p ≤ 0.05 significant). Results: The majority of 103 enrolled patients were female and all were post-menopausal. The prevalence of osteoporosis was 52.4%, that of vertebral fractures was 38.8%, and that of osteopenia was 28.1%. General risk factor analysis identified family history of fragility fractures (OR 11.8, p = 0.008) and vertebral T-scores (OR 0.6, p = 0.049) as significant predictors. When adding SSc-specific factors, only family history (OR 13.8, p = 0.03) and gastrointestinal (GI) involvement (OR 4.8, p = 0.05) remained significant. Conclusions: Vertebral fractures in SSc patients are strongly linked to a family history of fractures. The suggestive association with GI involvement may imply a significant role for malabsorption-related metabolic impairment. Prioritizing bone density screening in SSc patients with GI symptoms may enable earlier intervention and reduce fracture risk.