Endogenous Hormones and the Risk of Hip and Vertebral Fractures among Older Women

In postmenopausal women, vertebral fractures are often attributed to low estrogen production, and hip fractures to secondary hyperparathyroidism due to age-related declines in calcium intake and in calcium absorption mediated by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH) 2 vitamin D). 1 , 2 The results of retrospective case–control studies of the association between these hormones and the incidence of hip or vertebral fracture are conflicting, because of the alterations in serum hormone or vitamin D concentrations that result from fracture, the selection of nonrepresentative case and control subjects, and the use of insensitive assays for serum estradiol. 3 – 11 To determine the effects of endogenous hormones . . .