Press Release

Embargoed for Release at 5:30 PM ET, Friday Oct. 24, 2003

Arthritis News

HIP FRACTURES SURGE AMONG AFRICAN-AMERICAN ELDERLY BETWEEN 1990-2000

ORLANDO, FLORIDA—While survival rates from hip fracture improved from 1990–2000, black men and women are increasingly likely to suffer from this debilitating health problem, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

The study examined data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey to identify those patients who were discharged with hip fractures during the ten-year study, as indicated by discharge diagnosis codes. Researchers calculated hip fracture rates both for gender, two race categories, and four age groups: ages 50–64, 65–74, 75–84, 85 and older, and found that a total of 895,167 men and 2,747,962 women were hospitalized because of hip fracture. Statistics further showed that hip fracture was the principal reason for hospitalization in 87% of men, and 90% of the women so identified. While women have long been known to be at greater risk of hip fracture, as a group they experienced an increase of 8.5% from 1990 to 2000, while fracture rates declined by 17% among all men. Strikingly, rates for black men increased 121%, and rates for black women increased by 27%. Age-adjusted rates among whites fell during the same period, by 24% for men, and 2.7% for women.

Hip fracture is an important public health problem in the U.S., and is expected to increase as the population ages. This research suggests that it affects populations in the U.S. in numbers that continue to be significant, and in fact are increasing among African-Americans. Measures to prevent falls an osteoporosis should continue to be vigorously pursued, especially in at-risk populations.

“Osteoporosis prevention should be a public health priority because of the increased morbidity and mortality following hip fractures,” said Carlos Orces, MD, attending physician at the South Texas Veterans Health System in Laredo, Texas, and lead investigator in the study.

The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization for rheumatologists and health professionals who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability and curing arthritis and related rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. For more information on the ACR’s annual meeting, see www.rheumatology.org/annual.

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