Does prevalence and correlate of vertebral fractures in adults with cystic fibrosis?
This study indicates that osteoporosis is a common complication of CF, being related to disease progression and apparently due to both excess bone resorption and inadequate bone formation. Estradiol deficiency may have a significant role in the pathogenesis in both genders. Vertebral fracture prevalence is high and greater than expected from prevalent BMD values.
An overall decrease in the incidence rate over the last decade was observed, most marked in the pauciarticular- and systemic-onset subtypes. This decrease, along with the observed cyclical pattern, suggest that environmental factors may influence disease frequency.