Hip Fractures in Malta : Are we Missing an Opportunity?

The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )..

Introduction  Osteoporosis is a bone disease that is both preventable and treatable. It usually becomes evident when a fragility fracture occurs. Unfortunately, most studies show that only a small percentage of individuals at increased risk of fracture are assessed and treated, even following a fragility fracture. Objective  The aim of this study was to determine whether patients suffering from a low-energy hip fractures in the Maltese Islands are given osteoporosis treatment. Method  All patients older than 50 years presenting to the acute care hospitals in Malta and Gozo with a fragility hip fracture during December 1, 2015 and November 30, 2016 were included. Data on mortality, other fragility fractures, prescription of calcium, vitamin D, and antiresorptive therapy were collected. Results  Calcium with vitamin D supplements were prescribed to 40% of patients; however, only 2.64% of patients were given pharmacological therapy. Following a hip fracture, the mortality rate was 18.5% at 1 year and 26.21% at 2 years. Apart from a high mortality rate, 28.19% of individuals sustained another fragility fracture before or after the hip fracture. Conclusion  There should be increased osteoporosis awareness in Malta and a national bone mineral density screening program should be set up. An active role of the orthogeriatrics team in the management and treatment of osteoporosis following a fragility fracture might improve treatment rate and decrease refracture and mortality rates.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:7

Enthalten in:

Surgery journal (New York, N.Y.) - 7(2021), 3 vom: 09. Juli, Seite e184-e190

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Bugeja, Mark [VerfasserIn]
Curmi, Arthur [VerfasserIn]
Desira, Daniel [VerfasserIn]
Bologna, Gregory Apap [VerfasserIn]
Galea, Francesco [VerfasserIn]
Esposito, Ivan [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Bisphosphonates
Calcium
Fragility fractures
Hip fractures
Journal Article
Vitamin D

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 02.04.2024

published: Electronic-eCollection

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.1055/s-0041-1731635

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM328527033