Abstract
The costs of vertebral fractures are less well defined than the costs of hip fractures. Large studies are urgently needed. From the data that exist, vertebral fractures have a higher cost than previously expected: for hospitalized fractures in a US study, USD 10 000 per year without rehabilitation costs, for all clinical fractures USD 2000 the first year, and in a Swedish study slightly more. These new data on the cost of vertebral fractures will have an impact on health economy calculations. In the future it may be be cost-effective only to prevent vertebral fractures.