Stroke Doubles Risk of Hip, Thigh Fractures

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The study was not designed to give information about the reasons for the age difference, but "we believe that in elderly patients, the relative contribution of risk factors other than stroke is higher," de Vries said.

While the findings came from a homogenous Dutch group, they probably apply to stroke victims in the more diverse U.S. population, he said. "There are some differences in ethnicity, but previous epidemiological studies in the U.S. have reported increased risk of hip fractures in Mexican Americans and black people as well," de Vries said.

In the United States, the National Osteoporosis Society estimates that 300,000 people have hip fractures every year, and that 20 percent of them die within a year of the fracture, he said.

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In the Dutch study, the average age of the participants was 75, and 73 percent of them were women. The average time between a stroke and a fracture was 2.2 years, the study authors noted.

The new study is one of several that "highlight a great preventive medicine opportunity," said Dr. Heather E. Whitson, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of geriatrics at Duke University, who reported similar findings in a study of Veterans Administration hospitals several years ago.

"Most efforts at treating stroke focus on preventing future stroke," Whitson said. "What this focuses on is something we've seen more of recently, as the population ages, that one problem can raise the risk of a seemingly unrelated problem."

In the past, most stroke survivors did not live long enough to fall victim to a fracture or other major problem, Whitson said. "One of the main things we need to do is recognize fracture as a non-infrequent complication of the post-stroke patient. That recognition can help us prevent other major problems from happening."

More information

Advice on healthy living after a stroke is offered by the American Stroke Association.

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