A consensus statement on the management of vertebral fractures in CKD stages G4–G5D

Skeletal fragility has long been overlooked by the nephrology community despite patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) facing double the risk of hip fracture compared with the general population. Consequently, the term CKD-associated osteoporosis was recently coined to increase awareness. In this context, vertebral fractures are even less studied. Vertebral fractures predict increased fracture risk, and especially in advanced CKD, show a strong association with aortic and iliac vascular calcifications and cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction. The scope of the present consensus paper is to comprehensively discuss the management of skeletal fragility in CKD patients, from diagnosis to treatment, with a particular focus on vertebral fractures in CKD G4-G5D.