Trends in Hip Fracture Rates in Canada

Context Hip fractures are a public health concern because they are associated with significant morbidity, excess mortality, and the majority of the costs directly attributable to osteoporosis. Objective To examine trends in hip fracture rates in Canada. Design, Setting, and Patients Ecologic trend study using nationwide hospitalization data for 1985 to 2005 from a database at the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Data for all patients with a hospitalization for which the primary reason was a hip fracture (570 872 hospitalizations) were analyzed. Main Outcome Measures Age-specific and age-standardized hip fracture rates. Results There was a decrease in age-specific hip fracture rates (all P for trend Conclusions Age-standardized rates of hip fracture have steadily declined in Canada since 1985 and more rapidly during the later study period. The factors primarily responsible for the earlier reduction in hip fractures are unknown.