Impact Of the Covid-19 Pandemic on The Prevalence of Thoracolumbar Vertebral Compression Fractures in Elderly People

Abstract

Covid-19 had a profound effect on many parts of life during 2020. Our country, much like the majority of other nations across the globe, saw a Covid-19 epidemic, a wave reaching its height from the middle of March through April of 2020. This brought about significant difficulties for our civilization in a variety of spheres, including the medical, social, and economic spheres. On February 27th, the first patient in our country to be diagnosed with Covid-19 was identified. Objective: To evaluate the Covid-19 effect on the prevalence of thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures in elderly people. Methods: A total of 172 individuals with vertebral compression fractures (VCF) were above the age of 65 years. The age and gender of the patients were comparable across the two research groups. Only those people who exhibited symptoms for less than four weeks were taken into account. We analyzed every patient's medical records and obtained all essential data, including demographics (gender, age, and compression fracture risk factors), fracture mechanism, and location of the fracture. Results: In 2020, we observed a greater percentage of high-energy VCF (10.5% versus 6.7%). In 2020, there were 7.5 times more recurrent fractures and the proportion of Ankylosing Spondylitis was much higher. Similar admission rates to VCF ED were observed, with 60% receiving conservative care. The number of procedures performed on admitted patients increased in 2020 (66.7% vs. 60%, P =.71), and PBK plus fixation tended to be more common in 2020 compared to 2018-19 (15.8% versus 7.5%, P =.29). In the Covid-19 epidemic, the RR for BKP Plus fixation vs. BKP alone was 1.95, indicating increased risks for difficult operation. In 2020, there were significantly more complications (18.4% vs 3.7%, P.001). Time to surgery also increased somewhat in 2020, from 6.25 days to 5.3 days (P =.55), and admission duration increased marginally (12.2 days vs. 9.9 days, P =.27). Most of the patients choose home treatment over inpatient care during the Covid-19 pandemic (72.2% vs. 58.8%). Conclusions: The frequency of VCF did not vary as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; nevertheless, the features of patients did change, which had an effect on hospitalizations, institutional rehabilitative services, and a predilection for extensive surgery as opposed to BKP alone. Although it is not yet known whether or not COVID-19 will continue to be a problem in the years to come, the effects and lessons it has provided are still valuable.