Student Competition (Knowledge Generation) ID 1985735

Individuals with chronic spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) are at an increased risk of lower extremity fractures. Novel interventions, including nutraceuticals and pharmacotherapy, are being explored to reduce fracture-related morbidity and mortality. This retrospective cohort study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Denosumab injections with dietary calcium and vitamin D supplements on proximaltibia bone mineral density (BMD) in adults with low bone mass and chronic SCI/D. Adult patients with SCI/D over age 18 years, with a baseline distal femur or proximal tibia Z-score <-2.0 or T-score <-2.5 exposed to at least three doses of Denosumab 60mcg/1ml vial injections will consent to chart abstraction. The cumulative Denosumab dose will be the exposure variable. Calcium intake and vitamin D serum levels will be recorded as effect modifiers. Age, sex, and BMI will be recorded as potential confounders. The primary outcome will be the change in proximal tibia BMD from baseline and secondarily the incidence of lower extremity fracture(s). Demographic and impairment characteristics of the study population will be reported using appropriate descriptive statistics. The associations between mean BMD change and Denosumab exposure will be calculated and adjusted for confounders using an appropriate univariate/multivariate model based on sample size and data distribution. This retrospective cohort study will determine the effectiveness of Denosumab injections (with calcium and vitamin D) for maintaining or increasing proximal tibia BMD among patients with chronic SCI/D. The study findings will have a significant impact on Denosumab prescribing practices.