Factors Associated With Future Fractures in Middle-aged Men and Women

In adults, the incidence of fractures increases with age. In predisposed individuals, even a minor trauma can result in a fracture. Such an injury is known as low-energy fracture or fragility fracture, and the risk increases with age. Fragility fractures may be preventable, either by changes in lifestyle or by medication of underlying diseases. Fragility fractures also put a burden both on the affected individual and on society. As the population age, more individuals are at risk, and the absolute numbers of fragility fractures increase. Therefore, identification of individuals at risk before fracture occurs would be ideal.In the prospectively collected Malmo Diet and Cancer (MDC) cohort a large number of health and life style variables have been gathered from randomly invited men and women in a city of 350,000 inhabitants in the 1990s'. The MDC database the investigators use for this study comprises 30,351 participants. Outcome is updated via crosslinking with the National Patient Register in Sweden.

MDC PhysFract - investigation of the following factors Socioeconomical factors: Level of education, employment status in middle age, physical activity / work load, living alone, stress, number of friends, feeling of loneliness.

Life style factors: Tobacco use, alcohol use. Summary of physical and psychological well-being.

MDC CardFract - investigation of the following factors Comorbidities: Hypertension, syncope/orthostatism, diabetes, coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, ischemic stroke and others.

Pharmaceutical drugs associated with fracture risk. Cardiovascular blood tests.

MDC HormFract - investigation of the following factors Body composition: Weight at 20 yrs, weight change pattern, weight difference middle age minus 20 yrs.

Hormonal/gynecological status - women: Date for menarche and menopause, number of children, intake of oral contraceptives / hormonal replacement therapy, surgical menopause.