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Association Between Tibial Plateau Fractures and Bone Metabolic Status: A Prospective Observational Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Tibial plateau fractures are serious injuries affecting knee function and mobility. While typically associated with high-energy trauma, these fractures are increasingly observed in low-energy mechanisms, particularly among patients with compromised bone health. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between tibial plateau fractures and bone health parameters, specifically focusing on vitamin D status and bone mineral density, and to determine if fracture classification correlates with metabolic bone disease indicators. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted over 11 months at Evangelismos General Hospital in Athens, Greece. A total of 45 patients with tibial plateau fractures and 28 control patients with knee contusions were assessed. All participants underwent biochemical testing and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning. Fractures were divided using the Schatzker classification. RESULTS: A total of 34 (75.6%) patients with tibial plateau fractures had vitamin D deficiency, and 14 (31.1%) were diagnosed with osteopenia. Osteopenia was significantly more prevalent in low-energy trauma patients (six among nine patients vs. eight among 36 patients in high-energy trauma; 66.7% vs. 22.2%, p = 0.017). However, no statistically significant correlation was found between fracture severity and metabolic markers. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of patients with tibial plateau fractures exhibit suboptimal bone health, especially vitamin D deficiency and osteopenia. Routine metabolic screening is recommended, particularly for fractures caused by low-energy mechanisms.

Source: Cureus

DOI: 10.7759/cureus.92476

Authors: Constantinos D Apostolou, Vassiliki Markopoulou, Georgios Chatzipanagiotou, Stefanos Efstathiou, Efstathios Chronopoulos

Institutions: Evangelismos Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Language: English

Topic: Bone fractures and treatments

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W4414215490