Patients with Colles' fracture are at increased risk of subsequent hip fractures: Study

Asian study shows patients with Colles' fracture are at higher risk than patients with osteoporosis to have a subsequent hip fracture within one year; Colles' fracture and osteoporosis together further increase the risk of hip fracture

A new study presented today at the IOF Regionals 4th Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting in Hong Kong supports widespread evidence that individuals who have suffered a fracture are at significantly increased risk of subsequent hip fractures. In fact, previous studies have shown that half of patients presenting with hip fractures have suffered a prior fracture.

Researchers T.-L. Huang and C.-W. Chen from the China Medical University in Chinese Taipei, studied whether Colles' fracture (fracture of the distal radius in the forearm, i.e. wrist fracture) increased hip fracture risk within one year, in an Asian population.

The investigators extracted data for patients with newly diagnosed Colles' fracture from records of both ambulatory and in-patient care during the years 2000-2006 and compared fracture risk in this group to a cohort without Colles' fracture. Both study groups were followed up for one year to measure the incidence of hip fracture using three different calculation models.

The results showed that hip-fracture incidence in the Colles' fracture cohort, was six times higher than that of the comparison cohort (56.0 vs 9.3 per 10,000 person-years). Other findings showed that hip-fracture incidence among the fracture group was highest within one month after the Colles' fracture and that hip-fracture incidence increased with age. Both Colles' fracture and osteoporosis were significant independent factors that predicted hip fracture. However, one model showed that the hazard of hip fracture was much greater for patients with Colles' fracture (HR, 6.59; 95% CI, 4.74-9.17) than for patients with osteoporosis (HR, 4.30; 95% CI, 2.95-6.26). The hazard of hip fracture increased further for patients with osteoporosis who had also experienced Colles' fracture (HR, 7.73; 95% CI, , 4.72-12.7).

Source: International Osteoporosis Foundation