Table 3.
Characteristics of Fractures in Subjects with Thalassemia, Transfused and Non-Transfused Sickle Cell Disease Subjects by Age Group
| Characteristic, Unit | Thal a | Tx-SCD | NonTx-SCD | p-value (Thal vs. Tx-SCD) b | SCD vs. NonTx-SCD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults, 19+ yrs | n=118 | n=101 | n=41 | ||
| Fracture Prevalence, N (%) | 53 (44.9) | 27 (26.7) | 12 (29.3) | 0.005 | NS |
| Females | 18 (34.0) | 13 (20.3) | 4 (20.0) | NS | NS |
| Males | 35 (53.9) | 14 (37.8) | 8 (38.1) | NS | NS |
| Total number of fractures | 95 | 34 | 21 | ||
| Sites of Fracture | |||||
| Upper Extremity | 53 (55.8) | 15 (44.1) | 11 (52.4) | ||
| Lower Extremity | 29 (30.5) | 12 (35.3) | 3 (14.3) | ||
| Spine, Back, Pelvis | 10 (10.5) | 5 (14.7) | 4 (19.1) | ||
| Other/undefined | 3 (3.2) | 2 (5.9) | 3 (14.3) | ||
| Cause of Fracture | |||||
| Fall | 54 (56.8) | 19 (55.9) | 6 (28.6) | ||
| Recreational | 20 (21.1) | 5 (14.7) | 8 (38.1) | ||
| MVA, Object, Other | 21 (22.1) | 10 (29.4) | 7 (33.3) | ||
| Adolescents, 12–18 yrs | n=34 | n=102 | n=24 | ||
| Fracture Prevalence, N (%) | 6 (17.7) | 17 (16.7) | 3 (12.5) | NS | NS |
| Females | 1 (5.3) | 7 (13.7) | 1 (8.3) | NS | NS |
| Males | 5 (33.3) | 10 (19.6) | 2 (16.7) | NS | NS |
| Total number of fractures | 9 | 18 | 5 | ||
| Sites of Fracture | |||||
| Upper Extremity | 8 (88.9) | 8 (44.4) | 3 (60.0) | ||
| Lower Extremity | 1 (11.1) | 7 (38.9) | 1 (20.0) | ||
| Other/undefined | 0 (0.0) | 3 (16.7) | 1 (20.0) | ||
| Cause of Fracture | |||||
| Fall | 5 (55.6) | 7 (38.9) | 3 (60.0) | ||
| Recreational | 4 (44.4) | 5 (27.8) | 1 (20.0) | ||
| MVA or Other | 0 (0.0) | 6 (33.3) | 1 (20.0) | ||
a
THAL: Thalassemic subjects; Tx-SCD: Transfused sickle cell subjects, NonTx-SCD subjects
b
p-values for differences between groups are based on Pearson’s chi-square tests for categorical variables or ANOVA for continuous variables. The p-value for age at splenectomy is determined using Kruskal-Wallis test. Superscripts denote differences between groups at p<0.05 using Pearson’s chi-square tests or Fisher’s exact tests for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney two-sample tests for age at splenectomy.