Hip fracture Sample Clauses

Hip fracture. The most severe osteoporotic fracture is that of the hip which may occur as a result from a fall from standing, but may also occur spontaneously [98]. Hip fractures present with severe pain and almost always require hospitalisation and surgical intervention [98], and are more common in the elderly, mostly occurring at around 80 years of age and they are four times more common in women [164, 165]. It is estimated that by the year 2016, there will be around 117,000 hip fractures a year in the UK [164]. In addition to the role of advancing age on the occurrence of hip fractures, both skeletal and non-skeletal risk factors have been identified. Low BMD is considered to be the major risk factor for hip fractures [107, 166], with half of all elderly women presenting with a hip fracture having OP [44]. Hip fractures are associated with increased mortality rates [167] which may be linked to complications following the fracture, such as pulmonary embolism (PE), infections and heart failure [168-170]. In addition to high mortality rates, hip fractures also contribute to OP-associated disabilities such as pressure sores, bronchopneumonia and urinary tract infections [98]. Impaired mobility is one of the primary long-term outcomes following hip fracture and despite rehabilitation many patients fail to regain their pre-fracture ambulatory or functional status [171]. The risk of fracture increases with age in both men and women, however, the rate of hip fracture is higher in women than in men [43] although clinical trials and research on hip fracture outcomes have mainly focused on Caucasian women [172].