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.