It's of great importance to have good estimates of costs and health effects for osteoporosis-related fractures when health economic analyses of osteoporosis are conducted. Empirical data on individual costs and health effects in relation to fractures are very scarce, especially when it comes to the consequences of vertebral and wrist fractures. ICUROS seeks to fill this gap.

The purpose of this 18-month long prospective observational study is to investigate the consequences of osteoporosis-related fractures in terms of costs and health related quality of life (QoL) in an international perspective. Specifically, the objective is to estimate the cost and QoL following hip fracture, vertebral fracture and wrist fracture in various countries.

The study design used in ICUROS has previously been successfully used in the Swedish KOFOR-study (Osteoporos Int 2006 17:637-650). The study includes men and women, 50 years old or more who have had an osteoporosis-related fracture, i.e., not a fracture caused by high-energy trauma. ICUROS will result in an analysis of the cost and quality of life data to evaluate the effects of osteoporosis-related fractures in the specific countries.

The study is endorsed by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and IOF Epidemiology/Quality of Life Working Group and is administered by Quantify Research AB (formerly OPTUMinsight), Sweden.

INTERNATIONAL

Talevski J, Sanders KM, Lal A, Watts JJ, Beauchamp A, Duque G, Borgström F, Kanis JA, Svedbom A, Brennan-Olsen SA. A micro-costing analysis of post-fracture care pathways: results from the International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS). Osteoporos Int (2022). doi:10.1007/s00198-022-06460-5

Talevski J, Sanders KM, Busija L, Beauchamp A, Duque G, Borgström F, Kanis JA, Svedbom A, Connaughton C, Stuart AL, Brennan-Olsen SL. (2021). Health service use and quality of life recovery 12 months following major osteoporotic fracture: latent class analyses of the international costs and utilities related to osteoporotic fractures study (ICUROS). Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 36(2), pp. 252-261. doi:10.1002/jbmr.4181

Svedbom A, Borgstöm F, Hernlund E, et al. Quality of life for up to 18 months after low-energy hip, vertebral, and distal forearm fractures—results from the ICUROS. Osteoporos Int, 2018;29(3):557-566. doi: 10.1007/s00198-017-4317-4.

Borgstrom F, et al, The International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS)--quality of life during the first 4 months after fracture. Osteoporos Int, 2013. 24(3): p. 811-23.

COUNTRY-SPECIFIC

Talevski, J, Sanders, K, Watts, J et al. Sex differences in recovery of quality of life 12 months post-fracture in community-dwelling older adults: analyses of the Australian arm of the International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (AusICUROS). Osteoporos Int, 2022. 33: 67–75. doi: 10.1007/s00198-021-06058-3

Lesnyak O, Svedbom A, Belova K, Dobrovolskaya O, Ershova O, Golubev G, Grebenshikov V, Ivanov S, Kochish A, Menshikova L, Nikitinskaya O, Nurligayanov R, Solodovnikov A, Toroptsova N, Varavko J, Zotkin E, Borgstrom F, Kanis JA. Quality of Life After Fragility Fracture in the Russian Federation: Results From the Russian Arm of the International Cost and Utility Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS) Arch Osteoporos, 2020. 15(1):37. doi: 10.1007/s11657-020-0699-6

Guirant, L, Carlos, F., Curiel, D. et al. Health-related quality of life during the first year after a hip fracture: results of the Mexican arm of the International Cost and Utility Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (MexICUROS).Osteoporos Int, 2018. 29: 1147. doi:10.1007/s00198-018-4389-9

Abimanyi-Ochom, J., J.J. Watts et al, Changes in quality of life associated with fragility fractures: Australian arm of the International Cost and Utility Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (AusICUROS). Osteoporos Int, 2015. 26(6): p. 1781-90. 

Jürisson, M., Pisarev, H., Kanis, J. et al., Quality of life, resource use, and costs related to hip fracture in Estonia. Osteoporos Int (2016) 27: 2555. doi:10.1007/s00198-016-3544-4

Dimai, H.P., K. Redlich, M. Peretz, F. Borgstrom, U. Siebert, and J. Mahlich, Economic burden of osteoporotic fractures in Austria. Health Econ Rev, 2012. 2(1): p. 12.