Prevalence and Risk of Falls and Fractures in the Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Cross-Sectional Study of 470 Patients.

IF 3.1 3区医学 Q2 RHEUMATOLOGY

Rheumatology and Therapy Pub Date : 2026-06-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-21 DOI:10.1007/s40744-026-00829-2

Dhruv Nandakumar, Abhiram R Bhashyam, Manuel Lubinus, Lynn Wilson, Jerry Williams, Salman Bhai

{"title":"Prevalence and Risk of Falls and Fractures in the Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: A Cross-Sectional Study of 470 Patients.","authors":"Dhruv Nandakumar, Abhiram R Bhashyam, Manuel Lubinus, Lynn Wilson, Jerry Williams, Salman Bhai","doi":"10.1007/s40744-026-00829-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) can develop marked muscle weakness, which predisposes them to falls and injuries. We examined the prevalence of falls and associated fractures, assistive device use, and bone-protective therapy use among those reporting a fracture history. This analysis focuses on secondary prevention strategies in a high-risk population.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed by Myositis Support and Understanding, a patient-led advocacy organization, to members of its group. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with a diagnosis of an IIM (dermatomyositis, antisynthetase syndrome, polymyositis, inclusion body myositis [IBM], immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, or overlap myositis [OM]) were eligible to participate. Ordinal logistic regression was utilized to identify variables independently associated with falls.Results: Of 470 respondents, 79.8% reported falling once since diagnosis, and 57.0% fell within the past year. Fall-related fractures since diagnosis were reported by 121 participants (25.7%), of whom 61 (50.4%) experienced ≥ 2 fractures and 39 (32.2%) required surgical treatment. Among those with fall-related fractures, nearly half (47.9%) reported not receiving any dietary supplements or pharmacologic therapies (e.g., calcium, vitamin D, or bisphosphonates) to reduce bone loss or prevent future fractures. Use of braces/splints or mobility aids was reported by 18.2% and 77.7% of participants with fall-related fractures, respectively. Regression analyses identified mobility aid usage as being associated with a significantly increased fall risk (odds ratio [OR], 3.1; P < 0.001). Relative to dermatomyositis, fall risk was significantly higher among participants with IBM (OR, 2.5; P = 0.002) and polymyositis (OR, 2.0; P = 0.037) and lower for participants with antisynthetase syndrome (OR, 0.5; P = 0.038).Conclusions: All IIMs can lead to marked weakness, with varying individual risks of falls. Multidisciplinary care, with an emphasis on primary and secondary prevention of falls and fractures, is critical to improving outcomes and preserving quality of life in these patient populations.","PeriodicalId":21267,"journal":{"name":"Rheumatology and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"677-689"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13198599/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Rheumatology and Therapy","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40744-026-00829-2","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/3/21 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"RHEUMATOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) can develop marked muscle weakness, which predisposes them to falls and injuries. We examined the prevalence of falls and associated fractures, assistive device use, and bone-protective therapy use among those reporting a fracture history. This analysis focuses on secondary prevention strategies in a high-risk population.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed by Myositis Support and Understanding, a patient-led advocacy organization, to members of its group. Patients aged ≥ 18 years with a diagnosis of an IIM (dermatomyositis, antisynthetase syndrome, polymyositis, inclusion body myositis [IBM], immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, or overlap myositis [OM]) were eligible to participate. Ordinal logistic regression was utilized to identify variables independently associated with falls.

Results: Of 470 respondents, 79.8% reported falling once since diagnosis, and 57.0% fell within the past year. Fall-related fractures since diagnosis were reported by 121 participants (25.7%), of whom 61 (50.4%) experienced ≥ 2 fractures and 39 (32.2%) required surgical treatment. Among those with fall-related fractures, nearly half (47.9%) reported not receiving any dietary supplements or pharmacologic therapies (e.g., calcium, vitamin D, or bisphosphonates) to reduce bone loss or prevent future fractures. Use of braces/splints or mobility aids was reported by 18.2% and 77.7% of participants with fall-related fractures, respectively. Regression analyses identified mobility aid usage as being associated with a significantly increased fall risk (odds ratio [OR], 3.1; P < 0.001). Relative to dermatomyositis, fall risk was significantly higher among participants with IBM (OR, 2.5; P = 0.002) and polymyositis (OR, 2.0; P = 0.037) and lower for participants with antisynthetase syndrome (OR, 0.5; P = 0.038).

Conclusions: All IIMs can lead to marked weakness, with varying individual risks of falls. Multidisciplinary care, with an emphasis on primary and secondary prevention of falls and fractures, is critical to improving outcomes and preserving quality of life in these patient populations.

查看原文本刊更多论文

特发性炎性肌病中跌倒和骨折的患病率和风险：一项470例患者的横断面研究。

特发性炎症性肌病（IIMs）患者可出现明显的肌肉无力，这使他们容易跌倒和受伤。我们调查了有骨折史的患者中跌倒和相关骨折的发生率、辅助装置的使用和骨保护治疗的使用。本分析侧重于高危人群的二级预防策略。方法：一项横断面调查是由肌炎支持和理解，一个病人主导的倡导组织，开发和分发给其小组成员。年龄≥18岁且诊断为IIM（皮肌炎、抗合成酶综合征、多发性肌炎、包络体肌炎[IBM]、免疫介导的坏死性肌病或重叠性肌炎[OM]）的患者符合参与条件。使用有序逻辑回归来识别与跌倒相关的独立变量。结果：在470名受访者中，79.8%的人报告自诊断以来跌倒过一次，57.0%的人在过去一年内跌倒过。121名参与者（25.7%）报告了自诊断以来的跌倒相关骨折，其中61名（50.4%）经历了≥2次骨折，39名（32.2%）需要手术治疗。在与跌倒有关的骨折中，近一半（47.9%）的患者报告没有接受任何膳食补充剂或药物治疗（如钙、维生素D或双磷酸盐）来减少骨质流失或预防未来的骨折。分别有18.2%和77.7%的跌倒相关骨折患者使用牙套/夹板或辅助活动工具。回归分析发现，助行器的使用与跌倒风险的显著增加相关（优势比[OR]， 3.1； P）。结论：所有的iim都可能导致明显的虚弱，且个体跌倒风险不同。多学科护理，强调跌倒和骨折的一级和二级预防，对于改善这些患者群体的预后和保持生活质量至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Rheumatology and Therapy RHEUMATOLOGY-

CiteScore

6.00

自引率

5.30%

发文量

审稿时长

6 weeks

期刊介绍： Aims and Scope Rheumatology and Therapy is an international, open access, peer reviewed, rapid publication journal dedicated to the publication of high-quality clinical (all phases), observational, real-world and health outcomes research around the discovery, development, and use of rheumatologic therapies. Studies relating to diagnosis, pharmacoeconomics, public health, quality of life, and patient care, management, and education are also welcomed. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, gouty arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, juvenile idiopathic/rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, axial spondyloarthritis, Pompe’s disease, inflammatory joint conditions, musculoskeletal conditions, systemic sclerosis, and fibromyalgia. The journal is of interest to a broad audience of healthcare professionals and publishes original research, reviews, case reports, trial protocols, communications and letters. The journal is read by a global audience and receives submissions from all over the world. Rheumatology and Therapy will consider all scientifically sound research be it positive, confirmatory or negative data. Submissions are welcomed whether they relate to an international and/or a country-specific audience, something that is crucially important when researchers are trying to target more specific patient populations. This inclusive approach allows the journal to assist in the dissemination of all scientifically and ethically sound research. Ethics and Disclosures The journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and subscribes to its principles on how to deal with acts of misconduct thereby committing to investigate allegations of misconduct in order to ensure the integrity of research. Content in this journal is peer-reviewed (Single-blind). For more information on our publishing ethics policies, please see here: https://www.springer.com/gp/editorial-policies Rapid Publication The journal’s rapid publication timelines aim for a peer review decision within 2 weeks of submission. If an article is accepted it will be published online 3-4 weeks from acceptance. These rapid timelines are achieved through the combination of a dedicated in-house editorial team, who closely manage article workflow, and an extensive Editorial and Advisory Board who assist with rapid peer review. This allows the journal to support the rapid dissemination of research, whilst still providing robust peer review. Combined with the journal’s open access model this allows for the rapid and efficient communication of the latest research and reviews, allowing the advancement of rheumatologic therapies. Personal Service The journal’s dedicated in-house editorial team offer a personal “concierge service” meaning that authors will always have a personal point of contact able to update them on the status of their manuscript. The editorial team check all manuscripts to ensure that articles conform to the most recent COPE, GPP and ICMJE publishing guidelines. This supports the publication of ethically sound and transparent research. We also encourage pre-submission enquiries and are always happy to provide a confidential assessment of manuscripts. Digital Features Rheumatology and Therapy offers a range of additional features designed to increase the visibility, readership and educational value of the journal’s content. Each article is accompanied by key summary points, giving a time-efficient overview of the content to a wide readership. Articles may be accompanied by plain language summaries to assist readers who have some knowledge of, but not in-depth expertise in, the area to understand the scientific content and overall implications of the article. The journal also provides the option to include various types of digital features including animated abstracts, video abstracts, slide decks, audio slides, instructional videos, infographics, podcasts and animations. All additional features are peer reviewed to the same high standard as the article itself. If you consider that your paper would benefit from the inclusion of a digital feature, please let us know. Our editorial team are able to create high-quality slide decks and infographics in-house, and video abstracts through our partner Research Square, and would be happy to assist in any way we can. For further information about digital features, please contact the journal editor (see ‘Contact the Journal’ for email address), and see the ‘Guidelines for digital features and plain language summaries’ document under ‘Submission guidelines’. For examples of digital features please visit: https://springerhealthcare.com/expertise/publishing-digital-features/ Preprints We encourage posting of preprints of primary research manuscripts on preprint servers, authors'' or institutional websites, and open communications between researchers whether on community preprint servers or preprint commenting platforms. Posting of preprints is not considered prior publication and will not jeopardize consideration in our journals. Authors should disclose details of preprint posting during the submission process or at any other point during consideration in the journal. Once the manuscript is published, it is the author''s responsibility to ensure that the preprint record is updated with a publication reference, including the DOI and a URL link to the published version of the article on the journal website. Please see here for further information on preprint sharing: https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/journal-author/journal-author-helpdesk/submission/1302#c16721550 Peer Review Process Upon submission, manuscripts are assessed by the editorial team to ensure they fit within the aims and scope of the journal and are also checked for plagiarism. All suitable submissions are then subject to a comprehensive single-blind peer review. Reviewers are selected based on their relevant expertise and publication history in the subject area. The journal has an extensive pool of editorial and advisory board members who have been selected to assist with peer review based on the afore-mentioned criteria. At least two extensive reviews are required to make the editorial decision. Where reviewer recommendations are conflicted, the editorial board will be contacted for further advice and a presiding decision. Manuscripts are then either accepted, rejected or authors are required to make major or minor revisions (both reviewer comments and editorial comments may need to be addressed). Once a revised manuscript is re-submitted, it is assessed along with the responses to reviewer comments and if it has been adequately revised it will be accepted for publication. Accepted manuscripts are then copyedited and typeset by the production team before online publication. Appeals against decisions following peer review are considered on a case-by-case basis and should be sent to the journal editor, and authors are welcome to make rebuttals against individual reviewer comments if appropriate. Considering the time and effort required for a detailed peer review we reward our regular reviewers with the opportunity to publish without publication fees (pending peer review) for every three reviews completed per calendar year. Copyright Rheumatology and Therapy is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License, which allows users to read, copy, distribute, and make derivative works for non-commercial purposes from the material, as long as the author of the original work is cited. The author assigns the exclusive right to any commercial use of the article to Springer. For more information about the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License, click here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0. Publication Fees Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be required to pay the mandatory Rapid Service Fee of €5,250/$6,000/£4,300. The journal will consider fee discounts and waivers for developing countries and this is decided on a case-by-case basis. Open Access All articles published by Rheumatology and Therapy are published open access. Contact For more information about the journal, including pre-submission enquiries, please contact charlotte.maddocks@springernature.com.