Publications by authors named "Haschka J"

We performed a retrospective nationwide register-based cohort study which included all in-hospital patients aged ≥ 50 with pelvic fracture (PF) between 2010 and 2018 in Austria. We identified patients who were hospitalized with sepsis within 180 days following a PF event. Aetiology of sepsis was divided by unspecified, gram positive, gram negative and other.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Anorexia Nervosa (AN) leads to significant issues in bone health, characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and poor bone microarchitecture compared to normal-weight controls.
  • The study utilized two algorithms, TBSTT and TBSBMI, to analyze bone texture and determine that both were significantly lower in AN patients.
  • Findings revealed that AN patients exhibited not only reduced BMD and soft tissue thickness but also alterations in bone turnover markers, indicating an uncoupling of bone metabolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Austria is among the countries with the highest incidence and prevalence of osteoporotic fractures worldwide. Guidelines for the prevention and management of osteoporosis were first published in 2010 under the auspices of the then Federation of Austrian Social Security Institutions and updated in 2017. The present comprehensively updated guidelines of the Austrian Society for Bone and Mineral Research are aimed at physicians of all specialties as well as decision makers and institutions in the Austrian healthcare system.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is characterized by low activity of tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP). The enzyme replacement therapy asfotase alfa has been approved for childhood-onset forms of HPP. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a novel disease biomarker, with potential application in therapy monitoring.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: A balanced diet rich in calcium and protein is recommended for bone-healthy people and osteoporosis patients, but it may also be important for rare bone disease (RBD). Little data is available on RBD and diet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional behavior of patients with RBD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Osteoporosis is a widespread disease and affects over 500,000 people in Austria. Fragility fractures are associated with it and represent not only an individual problem for the patients, but also an enormous burden for the healthcare system. While trauma surgery care is well provided in Vienna, there is an enormous treatment gap in secondary prevention after osteoporotic fracture.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(1) Background: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has seen a notable increase in popularity. However, there is an absence of data regarding the prevalence of CAM use in patients with rare bone diseases (RBDs). (2) Methods: This monocentric, cross-sectional study was carried out in a reference hospital for RBDs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To assess physical and mental health domains of health related quality of life (HRQoL) as well as fatigue in rare bone disease (RBD) patients and to compare to patients with osteoporosis (OPO) and healthy controls (CTRL) without known bone diseases and to study associations of Fatique Severity Scale (FSS) with eight domains of HRQoL.

Methods: Monocentric, cross-sectional study carried out between 2020 and 2022 in a hospital affiliated with the Vienna Bone and Growth Center (European Reference Network Center for Rare Bone Disease) in Vienna, Austria. The study comprised three types of RBD: Osteogenesis imperfecta, Hypophosphatasia and X-linked Hypophosphatemia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Several studies have shown that tapering or stopping disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in sustained remission is feasible. However, tapering/stopping bears the risk of decline in physical function as some patients may relapse and face increased disease activity. Here, we analyzed the impact of tapering or stopping DMARD treatment on the physical function of RA patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Fragility fractures are a growing concern for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, especially as the disease lasts longer and control of blood sugar worsens.
  • The manuscript discusses the challenges in identifying and managing fracture risk, while examining recent studies on bone health indicators like BMD and predicting fractures.
  • It also reviews how diabetes medications affect bone tissue and assesses the effectiveness of osteoporosis treatments, proposing a strategy for identifying and managing patients at higher risk of fractures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied circulating miRNA signatures in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients to determine associations with these diseases.
  • They analyzed 192 miRNAs in 48 samples using RT-qPCR, revealing significant changes in 51 miRNAs for psoriasis and 64 for psoriatic arthritis compared to healthy controls.
  • The study identified nine key miRNAs that distinguished patients from controls, with four specifically differentiating psoriasis from psoriatic arthritis, suggesting a link between miRNA changes and inflammation affecting bone and cartilage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The most frequent manifestation in adult hypophosphatasia (HPP) is musculoskeletal pain. The unspecific nature of its clinical presentation may prevent correct diagnosis. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of ALPL mutations in adult patients treated in rheumatological outpatient facilities with evident musculoskeletal symptoms typical for HPP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Context: MicroRNAs (miRNAs)-short, single-stranded, noncoding RNAs-regulate several biological processes, including bone metabolism.

Objective: We investigated circulating miRNAs as promising biomarkers for treatment monitoring in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis on denosumab (DMAB) therapy.

Methods: In this prospective, observational, single-center study, 21 postmenopausal women treated with DMAB were included for a longitudinal follow-up of 2 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Caring for osteoporosis patients has proven challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic due to repeated lockdowns in Austria. The distinct possibility of insufficient treatment regimens is therefore a matter of pressing concern. The aim of the study was to assess alterations in dispensing anti-osteoporotic drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

(1) Background: Pelvic fractures (PFs) are related to osteoporosis, and represent a serious individual and socioeconomic burden. (2) Methods: We examined age- and sex-standardised incidence rates (SIRs) of PF, along with rates of all-cause overall and one-year mortality among patients with PF. We compared the mortality rates between PF patients and a matched fracture-free cohort.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Spondyloarthropathies (SpA) are common systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases, in which, as in other rheumatic diseases, levels of markers of bone resorption are elevated, leading to bone loss and elevated risk of vertebral fractures. However, the diseases are also associated with new bone formation in the spine, the so-called syndesmophytes. We tried to unravel the pathogenesis of formation and growth of syndesmophytes and evaluated new diagnostic and treatment options.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tenofovir is a nucleotide analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NtARTI) used for treatment of chronic hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Fanconi syndrome (FS) is a condition affecting the proximal tubules of the kidney, leading to increased passage and impaired reabsorption of various small molecules such as glucose, phosphate, bicarbonate, and amino acids. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is one of two pro-drugs of tenofovir associated with a greater nephrotoxicity and renal complications such as FS with subsequent osteomalacia, acute kidney injury, and reduction of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) compared with tenofovir alafenamide (TAF).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chronic inflammation induces proinflammatory cytokine cascades. In addition to systemic inflammation, hypoxemia, hypercapnia, a catabolic metabolism, gonadal or thyroid dysfunction, musculoskeletal dysfunction and inactivity as well as vitamin D deficiency contribute to an increased risk of fragility fractures. Iatrogenic causes of osteoporosis are long-term use of inhaled or systemic glucocorticoids (GC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by impaired bone quality and quantity. Established imaging techniques have limited reliability in OI. The TX-Analyzer™ is a new, fractal-based software allowing a non-invasive assessment of bone structure based on conventional radiographs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A study explored the use of machine learning to predict flare-ups in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients tapering off biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) while in sustained remission.
  • The research utilized clinical data from a trial that included 135 patient visits to develop a predictive model, achieving a notable performance score (AUROC of 0.81) to estimate flare probabilities.
  • Key factors influencing flare predictions included changes in bDMARD dosage, clinical disease activity, disease duration, and inflammatory markers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Patients with diabetes have an increased risk of osteoporosis and shorter life expectancy. Hip fracture (HF) is the most serious consequence of osteoporosis and is associated with increased mortality risk. We aimed to assess the association of antidiabetic medications with HF and the post-hip fracture mortality risk among diabetic patients ≥50 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In recent years, new treatment options for both common and rare bone diseases have become available. The sclerostin antibody romosozumab is the most recently approved drug for the therapy of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Its anabolic capacity makes it a promising treatment option for severe osteoporosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with bone loss and increased fracture risk. TX-Analyzer™ is a new fractal-based technique to evaluate bone microarchitecture based on conventional radiographs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the TX-Analyzer™ of the thoracic and lumbar spine in CD patients and healthy controls (CO) and to correlate the parameters to standard imaging techniques.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

microRNAs have evolved as important regulators of multiple biological pathways essential for bone homeostasis, and microRNA research has furthered our understanding of the mechanisms underlying bone health and disease. This knowledge, together with the finding that active or passive release of microRNAs from cells into the extracellular space enables minimal-invasive detection in biofluids (circulating miRNAs), motivated researchers to explore microRNAs as biomarkers in several pathologic conditions, including bone diseases. Thus, exploratory studies in cohorts representing different types of bone diseases have been performed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF