Association of congenital anomalies with fracture of spine, trunk, and upper and lower limbs among young people: A population-based matched cohort study in Taiwan

According to the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, congenital anomalies are caused by kidney malfunctions, which decreased the bone quality, and may eventually result in bone fractures. This retrospective cohort study investigated the relationship between congenital anomalies and fracture of spine, trunk, and upper and lower limbs in young people. We utilized data from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. This study included patients with congenital anomalies (International Classification of Diseases/ICD-9 code: 740–759) and a comparison group of patients without congenital anomalies. Cases evaluated were fracture of spine and trunk (ICD-9 codes: 805–809), fracture of upper limbs (ICD-9 codes: 810–819), and fracture of lower limbs (ICD-9 codes: 820–829). Our study shows that in comparison to the control group, patients with congenital anomalies are 1.11 times more likely to develop fractures. This is the first documented research study that supports the TCM theory that “the Kidney governs the bones, and healthy bones give the body stabilization and prevent fracture.”