Hip and Back Fractures Linked to Increased Risk of Death
Reported August 10, 2009
(Ivanhoe Newswire) – A new study of 7,753 people in Canada aged 50 years and older has found that vertebral and hip fractures are associated with an increased risk of death.
According to the study, approximately 25 percent of people who develop a hip fracture and 16 percent who develop a spine fracture will die over a 5-year period.
The 5-year study, part of the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study, consisted of 2,187 men and 5,566 women from across Canada. The study group is representative of the general population and participants were recruited through telephone lists by postal code areas. Previous studies have included only women, participants from specific geographic areas, patients with osteoporosis or have looked at only one type of fracture.
Except for rib fractures, all types of fractures were more common in women than in men. “Hip fractures may have long-lasting effects that result in eventual death by signaling or actually inducing a progressive decline in health,” Dr. George Ioannidis and coauthors wrote in a press release. “Our results also showed that vertebral fracture was an independent predictor of death.”
The authors conclude that interventions must be introduced to reduce the likelihood of fractures, such as osteoporosis medications, fall prevention strategies, hip protectors and enhanced rehabilitation after fracture to improve mobility and strength.
In a related commentary, Dr. Karim Khan and Dr. Maureen Ashe of the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility at Vancouver General Hospital and the University of British Columbia write that cognitive impairment and dementia are major risk factors for fall-related fractures, but patients with these conditions are usually difficult to recruit and thus under-represented in cohort studies. “If this was the case in this Canadian cohort (and it most likely was), the mortality data may contain “healthy volunteer bias” and the population mortality rates may be even higher than reported by Ioannidis and colleagues.”
SOURCE: Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), August 4, 2009