Spontaneous fractures in healthy postmenopausal women aged 55+ years in two health centers: Laquintinie Hospital and General Hospital, Douala, Cameroon

Background: Women in their old age are facing some health issues due to physiological changes. It was observed many cases of osteoporosis during menopause. At that stage of their life, women undergo ovaries atrophy caused by hormonal imbalance. Estrogen deficiency is a leading cause of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. That is why at menopause when its level drops women have fragile bones and are prone to fractures of many kinds. Fractures are associated with a high risk of morbidity which is why we aimed to identify and characterize the state of fractures in older women during menopause in our country.

Method: A survey was performed at the orthopedic-traumatology and rheumatology unit of 2 different health centers: Laquintinie Hospital of Douala and Douala General Hospital (DGH). Files of postmenopausal women admitted for fracture were screened. The data were analyzed by SPSS and statistical significance was considered when P-value < 0.05.

Results: 643 files of postmenopausal women admitted for fractures were analyzed. Results showed that 29% (186/643) of women at menopause aged above 55 years old had spontaneous fractures. The mean age was 71.89 years, ranging from 55 to 119 years. Falls and domestic accidents were the top two most represented causes (38.2 and 31.7 % respectively). Among those fractures, 70% happened after minimal trauma. The wrist was the favorite anatomical site for patients aged ranged between 55-64 years. As for UEF (Upper end of the femur) fracture, it increased in an age-related manner. Absence of trauma was observed the less in population aged between 55 and 64 years (11.5% ; P<0.001); and it was highest in women aged 85+ years (64%).

Conclusion: Postmenopausal women in our population have disabilities due to spontaneous fractures which impact negatively their quality of life. We should spread awareness among women before they reach menopause to take suitable measures to reduce the incidence of fractures and related morbidity at a certain age.