Hip Fractures In Elderly

Osteoporosis is a disorder of bones that affects bones making them low in bone mass fragile and will lead to bone fracture. Bone fracture will easily occur as this disease cause the matrix inside the bone become weak and brittle.Bones can become so brittle due to activities such as coughing can cause fractures.According to Macgill (2015) the origin of the word osteoporosis explain the condition of ‘osteo’ is for bone and ‘porosis’ means porous that resulting in weakness. At this condition, the bone tissue is mineralized normally, but the production is not enough to preserve the normal skeletal architecture. 80% of women and 20% men of 28 million American are affected with the osteoporosis. Approximately, women with the age of 50 will develop osteoporosis. Thin bones are the cause of 1.5 million fractures a year. As in Malaysia, the statistic shows that osteoporosis related to fractured is the common health problem especially in elderly..

Patients that experience hip fractures will die within a year. Many of these fractures are due to immobility according to assessment and Management of Clinical Problems (1788). Many falls occur in the older adult population and usually age over 60. Hip fractures not only happen with falls but also can come from blunt trauma to the hip, car accident, disease like osteoporosis and obesity can all be a major concern to hip fractures. The video talks about the common hip joint site are dislocation. Hip fracture may involve both vascular and bony damage to the body. Hip fractures are determined by atomic location of the fracture. These common fractures occur at the head of the femur, neck and greater trochanter. Over my twenty years of health care experience I have witness patients going through some difficult physical therapy. Many patients do not bounce back and many give up because the rehab is so

Etiology: The most frequent causes of hip fractures in elderly are falls and slips. Also, elderly people are susceptible because bones tend to weaken due to loss of calcium. Medications

As generally stated in the introduction, osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder that involves the strength and integrity of one’s bones. The WHO defines osteoporosis as, “a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low-bone mass, deterioration of bone tissue, increased bone fragility, and its susceptibly to recurrent fractures.” 2 The most important factor to take into account when addressing osteoporosis is the mass of bone, also referred to as, bone mineral density (BMD). As bone mass begins to decline, typically in the older population, specifically postmenopausal women, individuals are at an increased risk for fractures.3 As a result of this serious condition, many people are affected by morbidity, mortality, and economic difficulty.1

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, a fracture is a fancy term for a broken bone. A bone can be completely or partially broken in a number of different directions and ways. The type of fracture is determined by the direction and severity of the break (lengthwise, crosswise, broken into many pieces, pierced the skin, etc.).

Osteoporosis is a loss of bone mineral density often associated with old age, leading to bone fragility and fracture. Because the bones are weakened, such fractures can result from relatively minor traumas such as carrying grocery bags or even a sneeze! Fractures to the hip can be due to a fall and can significantly compromise quality of life and ability to walk. Statistics show that 1 in 4 American women and 1 in 8 American men over 50 have osteoporosis. This is a very disheartening statistic considering that osteoporosis is a largely preventable condition. Osteoporosis is also usually clinically silent until a fracture occurs, so it can go unnoticed for years. This is why bone density scans (DEXA scans) are often recommended to postmenopausal women.

Osteoporosis is an age related disorder, more common in females compared to males. Osteoporosis is defined as a “skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing to increased risk of fractures (Manolagaas, 2014). Osteoporosis is defined as “a disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue (What is osteoporosis?2014). Osteoporosis is sometimes also referred as “silent thief” as the bone loss occurs very slowly and silently without any symptoms (Osteoporosis facts & statistics.2014). The most common site for fracture due to osteoporosis is hip followed by humerus (Woltman & den Hoed, 2010) . Osteoporosis can occur at any age, although it is a disorder common in females (especially post-menopausal females). Everyone is prone to osteoporosis (Osteoporosis facts & statistics.2014). According to Osteoporosis Canada, 1 in 3 Canadian females and 1 in 5 Canadian males may suffer fractures due to osteoporosis during their lifetime (Osteoporosis facts & statistics.2014). Canadian health care system spends 1.2 billion dollars for the acute hospitalization caused by osteoporosis and in 2010 the health care system spent 3.9 billion dollars for the total treatment of osteoporosis (Osteoporosis facts & statistics.2014). Osteoporosis can be screened and diagnosed by various methods; however the dual energy x ray absorptiometry (DXA) is commonly used. If the T-score values are less than -1 and greater than -2.5SD it is termed as osteopenia,

The rate of hip fractures is two to three times higher in women than men, however the one year mortality following a hip frcture is nearly twice as high for men as for women.(Mayo clinic center). In 1991, about 300,000 Americans age 45 and over wer admitted to the hospital with hip fractures osteroprosis was the underlying cause of most of these injuries. An average of 24% of hip fracture patients age 50 and over die in the year following their fracture. One-fourth of those who were ambulatory before their hip fracture require long-term caar afterward.

Nearly 55 million Americans are estimated to have osteoporosis, making it one of the most common diseases among American seniors. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 50 percent of women and 25 percent of men over the age of 50 will end up a broken bone as a result of osteoporosis. In fact, according to May Clinic,

Osteoporosis is translated from the Greek and literally means “porous bone “ .It is the most common chronic, metabolic bone disease in the U.S.A, resulting in osteopenia and fractures in spine , hip and wrist. In addition osteoporosis is progressive, and the skeletal fragility often leads to disabling fractures (hip fractures) and even death. Primary osteoporosis is a result of aging, whereas secondary osteoporosis occurs at any age, is a consequence to certain medication as well as diseases.

Fragility fracture is occasionally the first presentation of osteoporosis. The incidence of osteoporosis-related fractures has been reported to increase with age and over 50% of the incidents occurring in menopausal women aged > 75 years. Vertebral column and hip are the most common site of fracture contributing to a significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Additionally, patients with an episode of fracture has a higher chance for future fracture.

Fragility fracture is occasionally the first presentation of osteoporosis. The incidence of osteoporosis-related fractures has been reported to increase with age and over 50% of the incidents occurring in menopausal women aged > 75 years. Vertebral column and hip are the most common site of fracture contributing to a significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Additionally, patients with a history of a fracture have a higher chance of encountering future fractures (Anders et al. 2007).

Osteoporosis, or thinning bones, can result in painful fractures. Risk factors for osteoporosis include aging, being female, low body weight, low sex hormones or menopause, smoking, and some medications. Prevention and treatment include calcium and vitamin D, exercise, and osteoporosis medications.

Nearly 10 % of falls are followed by serious injuries including fractures, head injury and injuries to the soft tissues. About 2% of falls result in hip fracture, which is among the leading cause of long-term disability and admission to nursing homes. Interestingly more than 90% of hip fractures, which are one of the most expensive surgical diseases to manage, are caused by

Bretherton and Parker (2014) have given evidence that suggests that approximately 200 elderly patients sustain a hip fracture per day in England and Wales. The rate of 30 day mortality which is associated with this injury is 8.2%. Travis et al, (2014) found that in 1990, the global number of hip fractures reported were 1.3 million, it is estimated that this could increase to 21 million by 2050. Neck of femur fractures are considered the most common cause of injury related death.