Characteristics of Hip Fractures Due to Minimal Trauma in Older People of a Health Area in Southwest Spain

Abstract

Osteoporotic hip fracture is one of the pathologies of the elderly with greatest morbidity and mortality, dependency, and health costs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify some of the determinants of minimal trauma hip fracture in patients of 65 or older. A descriptive, prospective, transversal study was conducted based on a structured survey addressed to the 233 patients admitted to the Virgen del Puerto Hospital for hip fracture in two years. The patients belonged to a health care zone of 70 rural municipalities (Plasencia, Cáceres, Spain) in the years 2007 and 2008. The largest number of fractures occurred in women of >80 years (p=0.005) when they were turning around or standing up or sitting down, did not use elements of support for walking (p<0.005), had suffered some previous fracture (p=0.0005), led a sedentary lifestyle, had calcium-poor diets, and lacked health information on this pathology and its prevention. These results allowed identifying the characteristics of hip fractures as women older than 80, with a sedentary lifestyle, a calcium intake below recommended levels and who resist using canes or crutches as aids to walking.