Osteoporosis, A Broken Hip And Aging The Hard Way

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What Are The Health Risks From Osteoporosis And Hip Fractures?

At this point, a person could reasonably ask how a fractured hip and cancer could possibly be compared. The reason is that recovery from a broken hip is not at all straightforward. Roughly 25 to 30% of women who suffer a hip fracture will die within one year of the injury. This accounts for more deaths than does breast cancer. For men, the risk of dying from the condition within the same time period is twice as high as it is for women.

What makes hip fractures most dangerous are the embolisms or blockages in the veins or arteries that can occur following surgery to fix a broken hip. These blockages are often caused by blood clots that break off and flow to locations such as the heart, brain or lungs. Such blockages can cause severe injury or even death.

At the same, surgeries in the elderly generally carry greater risk because of other existing conditions. Based on research from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, it is now understood that moderate severity preexisting conditions increase the risks of dying following hip surgery by more than 3 times.

Even if a patient is fortunate enough to avoid this major risk, secondary risks also exist. Pressure sores from lack of movement as well as hospital-acquired pneumonia, work together to increase the risk of death by 70% for those with a broken hip. Quite clearly, surviving the hip fracture involves patients dodging a number of high-risk problems.

For the fortunate, in spite of surviving the fracture and the complications, the risks of disability are also high. A study from the University of Kansas found that 20% of women who suffered a hip fracture were permanently disabled. Other research from the University of Washington discovered that more than half of those who suffer a fracture would permanently require a cane or walker. In the majority of cases, patients who experience a hip fracture will no longer be independent and will require home care after they recover.

Conclusions

While worrying about our health in old age is neither productive nor enjoyable, being aware of the real dangers and taking precautions is the best way to increase the odds that we can enjoy our “Golden Years”. Getting a bone mineral density test may be a good idea to be diagnosed in advance so that steps can be taken to prevent a broken hip or breaks in other fragile old bones. This is especially true if you have older relatives who have suffered broken bones or Osteoporosis.

Future articles will cover just which risks each of us might face and steps to prevent being one of the unlucky suffering from a broken hip. If you have experienced Osteoporosis, feel free to share your experiences in the health forums.

Related Links

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/adulthipfx.htm

http://www.abpi.org.uk/publications/publication_details/hitting_target/section6b.asp

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071113/hip_fractures_071113/20071113?hub=Health

http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/aus/bulletin76/10695.rtf

http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/08011759-annual-bone-fracture-rate-almost-4-percent-and-double-previous-estimates.html

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/40081.php

http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/bone/osteoporosis/men.pdf

http://healthnews.uc.edu/news/?/10216/

http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/colorectal/statistics/

http://www6.aaos.org/news/Pemr/releases/release_archive.cfm?releasenum=621

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16102107

http://www6.aaos.org/news/Pemr/releases/release.cfm?releasenum=897

http://esciencenews.com/sources/science.blog/2010/04/01/hip.surgery.success.partially.predicted.number.other.existing.conditions

http://hebrewseniorlife.org/workfiles/HSL/PR/5-22-09_IFAR_HipFrax.pdf

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