THE EFFECT OF HIP FRACTURE ON MORTALITY, HOSPITALIZATION, AND FUNCTIONAL STATUS - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to prospectively assess the independent effect of hip fracture on mortality, hospitalization, and functional status. Methods. Among 7527 members of the Longitudinal Stu dy of Aging who were over age 70 at baseline, 368 persons with hip fra cture occurring between 1984 and 1991 were identified. Median length o f follow-up was 831 days. Results. Hip fracture was significantly rela ted to mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [AHR] = 1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.55, 2.16) when treated as a time-dependent covariate . This effect was concentrated in the first 6 months postfracture (AHR = 38.33, 95% CI = 29.58, 51.13, vs AHR = 1.17; 95% CI = 0.95, 1.44). Hip fracture significantly increased the likelihood of subsequent hosp italization (adjusted odds ratio = 3.31, 95% CI = 2.64, 4.15) and incr eased the number of subsequent episodes by 9.4%, the number of hospita l days by 21.3%, and total charges by 16.3%. Hip fracture also increas ed the number of functional status dependencies. Conclusions. The heal th of older adults deteriorates after hip fracture, and efforts to red uce the incidence of hip fracture could lower subsequent mortality, mo rbidity, and health services use.