Both obesity and smoking can have negative effects on bone health.
In a new study, researchers found the two things may also impact healing in patients who have undergone surgery for fractures of the wrist, or the distal radius, which are among the most common bone fractures.
The research was led by a team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) at Harvard Medical School.
This type of fractures account for 5% to 20%of all emergency room fracture visits, and affected patients can experience challenges with daily living as well as potentially serious and costly complications.
The team analyzed data on patients surgically treated for a distal radius fracture between 2006 and 2017 at two trauma centers.
The 200 patients were divided into obese and non-obese groups and were also characterized as current, former, and never smokers based on self-reported cigarette use.
At three-month and one-year follow-ups after surgery, both the obese and non-obese groups achieved acceptable scores that close to those of the general population.
The two groups were also similar in regard to the range of motion and bone alignment.
At three months, smokers demonstrated worse scores related to arm, shoulder, and hand function and a lower percentage of healed fractures, but these effects improved over the course of a year.
The results show that treatment for distal radius fractures in obese and smoking patients is safe, and these patients may be treated as the general population with similar long-term results.
Their short-term outcomes, however, demonstrate higher disability and, in the case of smokers, slower fracture healing.
Obesity and smoking are currently considered among the two most important preventable causes of poor health in developed nations, and both are modifiable risk factors.
The researchers believe that lifestyle interventions focusing on weight loss and smoking cessation should be emphasized whenever possible.
One author of the study is Tamara D. Rozental, MD, Chief of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery.
The study is published in the Journal of Hand Surgery.
Copyright © 2019 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
