| Summary: | Background: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are, as the hip fractures, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Norway has one of the highest reported incidences of hip fractures in the world. Because of methodological challenges, vertebral fractures are not extensively studied. The aim of this population based study was to describe, for the first time, the age- and sex specific occurrence of osteoporotic vertebral fractures in Norway. Methods: Data was collected in the Tromso Study, 2007/8 survey. By the use of dual x-ray absorptiometry (GE Lunar Prodigy) vertebral fracture assessments were performed in 2887 women and men aged from 38 to 87 years, in addition to measurements of bone mineral density at the femoral sites. Information on lifestyle was collected through questionnaires. Comparisons between fractures and non-fractures were done sex stratified, by univariate analyses, adjusting for age when relevant. Results: The prevalence of vertebral fractures varied from about 3 % in the age group below 60 to about 19 % in the 70+ group in women, and from 7.5 % to about 20 % in men, with an overall prevalence of 11.8 % in women and 13.8 % in men (p = 0.07). Among those with fractures, only one fracture was the most common; two and more fractures were present in approximately 30 % of the cases. Fractures were seen from the fourth lumbar to the fifth
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