Vertebral deformation in urban Swedish men and women -: Prevalence based on 797 subjects

Vertebral fracture-deformation, a common feature of osteoporosis, shows considerable age, sex and geographical variation, We present the prevalence in an urban population of south-west Sweden. Lateral spine radiographs of 797 men and women, age 50-86 years, were evaluated by morphomety, The age-standardized prevalence of subjects with vertebral deformation using the deformation criterion -3 SD was 39 (95% CI 34-43) % in women and 33 (95% CI 28-38)% in men. The prevalence increased with age in both sexes. After adjustment for age, women had a higher prevalence than men, odds ratio 1.4. The proportion of vertebrae with deformation ranged from 2%-11%, increasing with age, The vertebrae most commonly deformed were Th 11, Th 12 and L1.