Mortality following fragility hip fracture in China: a record linkage study

Mortality risk declined over time. Patients with fragility hip fracture experienced an approximate ninefold excess mortality, peaking shortly after fracture, in comparison with that of the general population. Continuous efforts in lowering the occurrence of hip fracture have the potential to improve the survival of the elderly population in China.

Purpose: Hip fractures in older adults often lead to an elevated risk of death. However, few studies investigated mortality risk following hip fracture in mainland China. This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the crude mortality and excess mortality after fragility hip fractures in Lishui residents aged 50 years and older.

Methods: Patients having a fragility hip fracture between October 2013 and August 2019 were identified from the Lishui District Inpatient Data Collection and followed up until August 2020. Death information was ascertained from the linked death registry records. We calculated the follow-up mortality rate and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as well as the standard mortality ratios (SMRs) in comparison with the mortality rates of Lishui residents.

Results: During the study period, a total of 808 patients (63.4% females) with an average age of 75 years were admitted for fragility hip fractures. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year follow-up mortality rates were 16.51, 6.06, and 5.03 per 100 person-year, respectively. The SMRs were 8.46 (6.94, 9.97), 5.74 (4.86, 6.63), and 4.63 (3.98, 5.27) for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year following fragility hip fracture.

Conclusion: Although mortality risk declined over time, patients with fragility hip fracture experienced an approximate ninefold excess mortality, peaking shortly after fracture, in comparison with that of the general population. Continuous efforts in lowering the occurrence of hip fracture have the potential to improve the survival of the elderly population in China.