In India hip fracture is associated with high rates of mortality and disability

In various studies across different countries the reported one year mortality risks after hip fracture can vary anywhere from 5 to 50 %. In India, however, there has been little research on the risk of mortality and functional impairment following hip fracture.

In an oral presentation held during the European Congress on Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis in Rome, Italy, held from April 17 to 20 in Rome, Italy, researchers from Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India presented findings from a prospective study which found that patients had a high rate of one-year mortality and functional impairment.

The study included 188 patients (mean age 64.67, 60% women) with fragility hip fracture admitted to the hospital over a three and half-year period. The follow up on 174 of these patients showed that 30.4 % had died within one year, with the majority of deaths occurring within the first six months after fracture. Only around one-fifth (21.9 %) of the patients were able to return to normal motor function. The remaining needed assistance for their daily life activities: 13.7 % were bed ridden, 14.9 % could only walk with a cane, and 19.5% required a walker (zimmer frame). (OC20)

Abstracts have been published in Osteoporosis International, Vol. 24, Suppl. 1, 2013.