Vertebral and Hip Fractures Associated with Increased Mortality Risk
BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, AUGUST 17, 2009
According to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, patients 50 and older who suffer vertebral and hip fractures may also have an increased risk of mortality. Results showed that 16% of people who develop a vertebral fracture and 25% of people who develop a hip fracture will die within five years.
While hip fractures have had a known correlation to death, this data is unique in that it was randomized. The 7,753-patient study randomly selected participants from across Canada who were age 50 and older. The cohort was observed for five years. In that group, incidence of fracture was validated and categorized by type - vertebral, pelvic, forearm or wrist, rib, hip and "other". Patients with vertebral fractures saw their odds of dying within five years increase 2.7-fold, where hip fracture patients had a 3.2-fold increase in mortality risk. Researchers found that vertebral fracture was an independent predictor of death, where hip fractures may "[signal] or actually [induce] a progressive decline in health."
Forearm or wrist and rib fractures had no impact on mortality.
According to the study's lead author, one in six women over 50 will sustain a hip fracture. This demonstrates the importance of prevention, which includes medication and a number of non-medical interventions, particularly since the danger of fractures may be even higher than typically reported: since patients with cognitive impairment and dementia may be more likely to fall but also less likely to be recruited for a study.
