Treatment of Osteoporosis after Hip Fractures in Patients Older than 50 Years

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study examined the rate in which a diagnostic workup and treatment for osteoporosis are performed on patients with a hip fracture in Jeju Island, South Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study reviewed the medical records and radiographs of 174 patients (141 women and 33 men) older than 50 years and diagnosed with femoral neck or intertrochanteric fractures at 8 hospitals in Jeju Island during 2005. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 78.3 years (range, 50-104 years). The number of patients examined with bone densitometry and treated for osteoporosis after the hip fracture was calculated. RESULTS: DXA was performed on 35 patients (20.1%) diagnosed with osteoporosis (T-score < -2.5). Of these 35 patients, 27 patients were treated for osteoporosis after a hip fracture. Among the 174 patients, only 27 patients (15.5%) had received medication for osteoporosis. CONCLUSION: The detection and treatment of osteoporosis are essential for reducing the incidence of another fracture after a hip fracture. However, a diagnostic study and the treatment for osteoporosis were performed only in a small portion of hip fracture patients.