VietNam Military Medical Unisversity · May 28, 2026
EFFECT OF FRAILTY ON SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES IN OLDER PATIENTS WITH OSTEOPOROTIC VERTEBRAL COMPRESSION FRACTURES
By Nguyễn TTT, Nguyễn CT, Cao TN
OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the effect of frailty on short-term outcomes, including pain severity, falls, and hospitalization, in older patients (BN) with new osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (GLĐS). METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study with longitudinal follow-up for 3 months was conducted in 187 BN aged ≥ 60 years with osteoporotic GLĐS at University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City during 9/2024 - 6/2025. Frailty was assessed using the Clinical Frailty Scale (clinical frailty scale - CFS); pain severity was measured using the VAS (visual analog scale). RESULTS: The prevalence of frailty (CFS ≥ 5) was 62.0%. The median VAS score decreased from 5 to 3 after 3 months (p < 0.001); 85.7% of BN experienced decreased pain, 9.9% had no change, and 4.4% experienced increased pain severity. The fall rate was higher in the frail group than in the nonfrail group (8.0% versus 2.8%; p = 0.207). The hospitalization rate in the frail group was 2 times that in the nonfrail group (31.86% versus 15.49%; p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Frailty is common in older BN with osteoporotic GLĐS and is a factor associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Early screening for frailty is needed to optimize treatment.