Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Hip Fracture in Elderly Women Increases Mortality Rate?



The answer is yes, the one year mortality rate increases.
Women who break a hip at age 65 years or older face double the risk of dying within the coming year compared with those without a hip fracture, even if they have an otherwise excellent bill of health, according to an analysis of osteoporotic fractures published online September 26 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"Our study suggests it is hip fracture, and not just poor health, that puts these women at higher risk of dying," said Teresa Hillier, MD, coauthor of the study and senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, in a written statement.

She hypothesized that "hospitalization, surgery and immobility lead to other complications that ultimately result in their death."

In addition, age makes an important difference, with fractures occurring between the ages of 65 and 69 years conferring a 5-fold mortality risk within a year of fracture compared with a doubling of risk in the 70- to 79-year-old age category, and a tripling of risk in octogenarians, but only those who are in excellent health.

"Women who are younger than 80 years or who are 80 years or older and healthy have the highest risk of dying in the first year compared with women of similar age and health status," concluded lead author Erin LeBlanc, MD, also from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, and colleagues.

"Those who are younger and/or healthier have a low risk of dying from other causes," the authors explain. "Therefore, experiencing a hip fracture may increase their mortality risk.... In contrast, octogenarians generally have a relatively high risk of dying from other causes; therefore, experiencing a hip fracture does not result in an increased risk of death during the next year compared with other women their age, unless they are exceptionally healthy."
My wife and I have observed when an elderly woman we know falls and breaks her hip, then she WILL die soon. This study verifies this anecdotal observation.

Obviously, if you are an older woman, good bone health and the avoidance of hip fracture situational risk is of paramount importance.

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