Epidemiologic Study of Fracture in Stroke Patients

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Fracture has been reported as one of complicated problems in stroke patients. The purpose of this study is to provide epidemiologic data on fractures in stroke patients and investigate the specific feature of these fractures. METHOD: Stroke patients treated in Dong-Eui hospital due to fracture after stroke from March 1990 to March 1999 were enrolled in this study, and the retrospective study of fracture was performed on these patients. RESULTS: Subjects were 73 fracture patients with history of previous stroke. There were 50 patients with ischemic stroke and 23 patients with hemorrhagic stroke. And 35 patients were right hemiplegia, 38 patients were left hemiplegia. In this study, the causes of fracture were slip (63 cases, 86.3%), fall (6 cases, 8.2%), range of motion exercise (3 cases, 4.1%), and crushing injury (1 case, 1.4%). The frequency of fracture in patients who walk independently or with minimal to moderate assist was higher than in patients who walk with maximal assist or were bed-ridden state. In 65 patients, the fracture occured on the same side of hemiplegia. The distribution of fracture site was femur (45 cases, 61.6%), humerus (12 cases, 16.4%), and radius (3 cases) in the order of frequency. The interval between stroke and occurrence of fracture were less than 6 months in 34 cases (46.6%), 6 months to 1 year in 10 cases (13.7%), 1 to 2 years in 13 cases (17.8%), and 2 to 20 years in 16 cases (21.9%). CONCLUSION: As with our study, the fracture in stroke patient tend to occur within the first year after a stroke as a result of slip and the most frequently affected site is femur of hemiplegic side.