Elsevier

Injury

Volume 49, Issue 8, August 2018, Pages 1458-1460
Injury

Epidemiology and social costs of hip fracture

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2018.04.015Get rights and content

Abstract

Hip fracture is an important and debilitating condition in older people, particularly in women. The epidemiological data varies between countries, but it is globally estimated that hip fractures will affect around 18% of women and 6% of men. Although the age-standardised incidence is gradually falling in many countries, this is far outweighed by the ageing of the population. Thus, the global number of hip fractures is expected to increase from 1.26 million in 1990 to 4.5 million by the year 2050. The direct costs associated with this condition are enormous since it requires a long period of hospitalisation and subsequent rehabilitation. Furthermore, hip fracture is associated with the development of other negative consequences, such as disability, depression, and cardiovascular diseases, with additional costs for society.

In this review, we show the most recent epidemiological data regarding hip fracture, indicating the well-known risk factors and conditions that seem relevant for determining this condition. A specific part is dedicated to the social costs due to hip fracture. Although the costs of hip fracture are probably comparable to other common diseases with a high hospitalisation rate (e.g. cardiovascular disease), the other social costs (due to onset of new co-morbidities, sarcopenia, poor quality of life, disability and mortality) are probably greater.

Introduction

Hip fractures constitute a significant public health issue [1]. Prediction of future numbers of hip fracture patients is necessary in order to be as prepared as possible for the increased burden on the health care and social services, especially in areas of the world where unprecedented rapid rises will be seen, due to the trajectory of their population’s ageing.

Section snippets

Pathogenesis

The pathogenesis of hip fractures is multifactorial, but the risk factors for this condition can roughly be divided into those decreasing bone mineral density (BMD) and those increasing the rate of falls [2], [3].

The factors negatively affecting BMD can be categorised as non-modifiable or modifiable factors [4], [5]. In the first category, we can include genetic predisposition to low BMD/osteoporosis, older age, female sex, family history of osteoporosis/fractures, and low body frame size.

Epidemiology of hip fracture

In 1992, the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) suggested that worldwide hip fractures occurred in 18% of women and 6% in men [11]. Their more recent data (2012) showed that the highest incidence of hip fracture was observed in Denmark (439/100,000), the lowest in Ecuador (55/100,000) [12]. The most common site affected is the femoral neck, although intertrochanteric fractures are very similar in frequency in older patients, with a higher incidence in white women than in men [13].

The

Social costs

It is noteworthy that every year about 300,000 subjects are hospitalised for hip fractures in the United States alone [34]. The estimated cost of treatment in the US was approximately 10.3 to 15.2 billion dollars per year in 1990 [35] and 17 billion in 2002 [5].

The costs due to hip fracture come from several aspects including those associated with hospitalisation, rehabilitation, placement in nursing home, and other costs.

The data available suggest that hip fracture is associated with high

Conclusions

Hip fracture is a common condition, leading to disability and consequently mortality. The data regarding its epidemiology are variable and some non-modifiable factors (such as age, race and sex) affect its incidence. Altogether, the global incidence of hip fracture is rising, underlining the need for focussing on its prevention, which is possible through the treatment of osteoporosis and falls risk.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Funding

None.

References (53)

  • C. De Laet et al.

    Body mass index as a predictor of fracture risk: a meta-analysis

    Osteoporos Int

    (2005)
  • B. Haring et al.

    Dietary patterns and fractures in postmenopausal women

    JAMA Intern Med

    (2016)
  • J.A. Cauley

    Osteoporosis: fracture epidemiologyupdate 2016

    Curr Opin Rheumatol

    (2017)
  • C. Cooper et al.

    Hip fractures in the elderly: a world-wide projection

    Osteoporos Int

    (1992)
  • J.A. Kanis et al.

    A systematic review of hip fracture incidence and probability of fracture worldwide

    Osteoporos Int

    (2012)
  • M.R. Karagas et al.

    Heterogeneity of hip fracture: age, race, sex, and geographic patterns of femoral neck and trochanteric fractures among the US elderly

    Am J Epidemiol

    (1996)
  • C. Cooper et al.

    Secular trends in the incidence of hip and other osteoporotic fractures

    Osteoporos Int

    (2011)
  • H. Arakaki et al.

    Epidemiology of hip fractures in Okinawa, Japan

    J Bone Miner Metab

    (2011)
  • P. Piscitelli et al.

    Updated incidence rates of fragility fractures in Italy: extension study 2002–2008

    Clin Cases Miner Bone Metab

    (2011)
  • E. Mann et al.

    Comparison of hip fracture incidence and trends between Germany and Austria 1995–2004: an epidemiological study

    BMC Public Health

    (2010)
  • S. Tuzun et al.

    Incidence of hip fracture and prevalence of osteoporosis in Turkey: the FRACTURK study

    Osteoporos Int

    (2012)
  • J. Langley et al.

    Age, cohort and period effects on hip fracture incidence: analysis and predictions from New Zealand data 1974–2007

    Osteoporos Int

    (2011)
  • T. Nymark et al.

    Decreasing incidence of hip fracture in the Funen County, Denmark

    Acta Orthop

    (2006)
  • W.D. Leslie et al.

    Trends in hip fracture rates in Canada

    JAMA

    (2009)
  • E. Cassell et al.

    A decreasing trend in fall-related hip fracture incidence in Victoria, Australia

    Osteoporos Int

    (2013)
  • A.L. Adams et al.

    Ten-year hip fracture incidence rate trends in a large California population, 1997–2006

    Osteoporos Int

    (2013)
  • Cited by (519)

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text