Background: For adults with cerebral palsy (CP), fragility fractures may be a risk factor for pneumonia, a leading cause of death for this population; yet, the timing and complications are unknown. The objectives were to determine the 30-day pneumonia rate post-fracture and its association with mortality and incident cardiovascular events among adults with CP.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study used nationwide administrative claims data from 01/01/2012–12/31/2017 from a random 20% sample of the Medicare fee-for-service and Optum Clinformatics® Data Mart. Cohorts included ≥18 years of age with CP with an incident fragility fracture (CP + Fx) and comparison cohorts: CP without fractures (CPw/oFx) and without CP with an incident fragility fracture (w/oCP + Fx). Incidence rate (IR) of pneumonia 30-days post-fracture and IR ratios were estimated by age group: 18–40, 41–64, and ≥ 65 years. For CP + Fx, Cox regression examined the association between time-varying pneumonia (within 30-days post-fracture) with mortality and incidence of cardiovascular events 0–30-days and 31–365-days post-fracture.
Results: There were 3688 CP + Fx (mean [SD] age, 58.2 [14.9]; 56.4% women), 29,429 CPw/oFx (50.3 [15.8]; 45.9% women), and 363,995 w/oCP + Fx (65.9 [18.3]; 65.5% women). The IR of 30-day pneumonia for CP + Fx was similar across age groups (IR per 100 person-months, 8.4–11.0) and 1.77–16.18-fold higher (all P < 0.05) than comparison cohorts. Peri/post-fracture pneumonia was associated with an increased rate of mortality (30-day-adjusted HR [aHR] = 5.89, 95%CI = 3.54–9.81; 31–365-day aHR = 2.89, 95%CI = 2.13–3.92), congestive heart failure 0–30-days (aHR = 3.64, 95%CI = 2.01–6.57) and 31–365-days (time-dependent), myocardial infarction 31–365-days (aHR = 2.03, 95%CI = 1.11–3.71), and cerebrovascular disease 0–30-days (time-dependent), without evidence of effect modification by age, sex, or fracture site.
Conclusions: Adults with CP are particularly vulnerable to 30-day risk of post-fracture pneumonia and its complications across the adult lifespan and not just in the elderly years.