Citation

Kim SH, Meehan JP, Blumenfeld T, Szabo RM. Arthritis Care Res. (2010) 2011; 64(5): 751-757.

Affiliation

Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis. sunny.kim@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/acr.21580

PMID

22190474

Abstract

OBJECTIVE.: The objective of this study was to evaluate the recent epidemiology of hip fractures in the United States (U.S.) METHODS.: We identified hip fracture cases from the 2008 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, which contains over 28 million Emergency Department (ED) records. RESULTS.: In 2008, approximately 341,000 (95% confidence interval (CI): 339,000-343,000) patients visited EDs with hip fractures. Of those, 90% were 60 years or older. Between ages 60 and 85, the risk of fracture doubled for every five- to six-year increase in age. However, the hip fracture risk increased slowly after age 85. The overall trochanteric-to-cervical fracture ratio was nearly 2:1. The risk of trochanteric fracture increased faster with age compared with the risk of cervical fracture. At the age of 85, the rates of trochanteric and cervical fractures (per 100,000) were: 1,300 and 700, respectively among women; and 800 and 500, respectively among men. CONCLUSION.: The slowed growth of hip fracture risk after age of 85 suggests that the eldest old group may have a distinct hip fracture risk. Our study showed that trochanteric fractures were twice as common as cervical fractures. Because trochanteric fractures are more closely related to severe and generalized bone loss than cervical fractures, we hypothesize that the high incidence rate of trochanteric fractures in the U.S. suggests that osteoporosis is a health problem that is linked to hip fracture. In addition to improved safety measures to reduce falls, rigorous preventive treatments of osteoporosis may be needed. © 2011 American College of Rheumatology.

Language: en