Declining hip fracture rates in the United States

One of the most serious fall outcomes is hip fracture, an injury that often results in long-term functional impairment, nursing home admission and increased mortality. The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that more than 10 million people over age 50 in the United States have osteoporosis and another 34 million have low bone mineral density and are at risk for the disease. Here, Stevens and Rudd analyze the national trends in hip fracture rates from 1990 to 2006 for people aged 65 years and older by both sex and 10-year age groups. This study found that the age-adjusted hip fracture hospitalization rates for both men and women in the United States declined significantly from 1990 to 2006.