Hip fractures may have both short and long-term effects on survival in elderly individuals

A new analysis of numerous studies indicates that men and women aged 60 years and older who have experienced a hip fracture are at increased risk of dying not only in the short term after the fracture, but also a number of years later.

The analysis included eight studies with 122,808 participants in the Consortium on Health and Ageing: Network of Cohorts in Europe and United States (CHANCES) project, a large collaboration of European and US studies coordinated by the Hellenic Health Foundation, investigating the effects of ageing on health.

Although the risk of death was highest in the first year after the hip fracture, fractures were also linked with a nearly twofold increased risk of dying eight years or more after the injury, noted co-lead author Dr. Vassiliki Benetou.

"It is important to implement appropriate measures to prevent the occurrence of hip fractures while more attention should be given to those older individuals that have already experienced a hip fracture in order to ensure better quality of life and survival in the elderly," said Dr. Michail Katsoulis co-lead author of the Journal of Internal Medicine analysis.