Evaluation of quality of life and associated factors in patients with intertrochanteric femoral fracture

Abstract

Background Intertrochanteric fracture is a common injury among the elderly population causing fundamental lifestyle derangements, which influences the patients’ social and psychological functioning. We aimed to study the quality of life (QoL) and its different parameters in patients with this type of injury. Materials and methods In this cohort study, all patients hospitalized with intertrochanteric fracture and aged above 50 from 2016 to the end of 2020 at the Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Babol, Iran, were included. Patients were managed mostly surgically and in exceptional cases non-surgically, were followed up for at least 12 months after receiving treatment. During the follow-up period, patients were dialed and completed a questionnaire to assess the patients' QoL by the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). QoL parameters were analyzed based on patients’ sex, age, type of treatment, and height of fall causing fracture. Results A total number of 200 patients including 101 (50.5%) males and 99 (49.5%) females with mean age of patients was 74.76 ± 11.36 years (range: 50–99) were included. Regarding the received treatment, 192 (96.0%) patients underwent surgery, and 8 (4.0%) underwent non-surgical treatment. In the study of SF-36 scores, the mean score of male patients was 42.31 ± 14.58 and females scored 37.83 ± 15.35, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.04). The mean score of QoL and its subscales among the patients of the 50–75 group was significantly higher than the 76–99 group (P < 0.001). The average score of QoL was considerably higher in patients who had surgery (40.75 ± 14.57) compared to those who has non-surgical treatment (24.30 ± 19.85) (P = 0.01). Patients having a fall from a higher height had higher QoL after treatment. Conclusion This study revealed that patients with an intertrochanteric femoral fracture had a poor QoL in all aspects. The overall QoL was significantly higher among male patients, younger patients, those who underwent surgical treatment, and the falls from higher heights. These findings highlight the necessity of long-term follow-up and support in patients with intertrochanteric fractures.