Fracture Patterns and Mortality in Osteopetrosis: A 7-year Retrospective Analysis from Türkiye's National Registry

Background: The aim of this study is to determine the demographic data, fracture treatment methods, and medical treatments of patients diagnosed with osteopetrosis in the national registry.Methods: Patients with International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 code Q78.2 for osteopetrosis between January 1, 2016 and April 11, 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Data on sex, age at time of diagnosis, fracture history, mortality, and use of medications were evaluated for all patients. In addition, open reduction and internal fixation, closed reduction and internal fixation, closed reduction and casting, and conservative treatment methods were noted. The number of patients requiring deformity surgery was determined. The incidence and prevalence of osteopetrosis were also calculated in this cross-sectional study.Results: A total of 476 patients diagnosed with osteopetrosis were identified. The mean age at time of diagnosis of these patients was 5.79 +/- 5.43 years. A total of 101 patients died. As the age at diagnosis decreased, the mortality rate of the patients increased with statistical significance (P<0.001). A total of 192 fractures were seen in 121 osteopetrosis patients in this study. Femur fractures were most common among these patients with osteopetrosis. A history of fracture was statistically significantly less common in patients using a combination of vitamin D + calcium compared with patients not using such medication (P<0.001). In this 7-year cross-sectional study, the incidence was found to be 1 in 416,000 and the prevalence was 0.00199% in the population under 18 years of age.Conclusion: Younger age at diagnosis is associated with higher mortality in patients with osteopetrosis. In addition, the combination of vitamin D and calcium were associated with lower fracture incidence.