| Abstract [eng] |
Quality of life (QoF) studies help to identify the changes in health status of patients with osteoporotic fracture, and to assess how long these changes remain. The aim of this study was to analyze the features of health care services, provided for persons with osteoporotic fracture, and to evaluate the changes in health related quality of life of aforementioned persons within 36 months after the fracture. The study was conducted in Emergency and Traumatology – Orthopaedics Departments of public institution Republican Vilnius University Hospital, public institution National Osteoporosis Centre and Vilnius City Primary Health Care Institutions. 461 persons were surveyed, while carrying out this research. The following standardized questionnaires were used: EQ-5D and QUALEFFO-41. On average, 17.9±17.28 personal health care services were provided for patient with clinical vertebral fracture (VF), and 20.9±19.93 – for patient with forearm fracture (FF) within three years after the fracture. Inpatient services were more frequently provided for persons with clinical VF than for persons with FF (60.3 percent and 29.9 percent of patients, respectively). Almost one fourth of patients needed care of other person during the first year after the fracture. EQ-5D index before VF was 0.93, and before FF – 0.95. It was characterized by statistically significant decrease 14 days after the fracture, down to 0.38 and 0.4, respectively. Later, quality of life was improving; however, EQ-5D index did not achieve its initial level even after three years (increased up to 0.63 and 0.85, respectively). It was determined that the changes in QoL within three years are influenced not only by age, but also by gender, education and income – after 36 months, EQ-5D index of those with VF is lower as age increases, in case of lower education. Statistically significantly worse QoF was found in women with one osteoporotic VF, in comparison with QoF of women without osteoporosis and without any fracture. Women with multiple osteoporotic non-clinical VFs assessed their appearance significantly worse, in comparison with women with osteoporosis, but without vertebral fracture. |
