title: [The extremely low incidence of proximal femoral fractures due to osteoporosis in the population on the island of Ischia].
abstract: We present the raw data from a study done on the incidence of osteoporotic hip fractures on Ischia, an island facing the Bay of Naples. Its 43,975 inhabitants form a well-defined, stable and homogeneous population. Since no air transportation to the mainland is available for residents, acute health care is provided by the sole local hospital. We carried out a discharge data survey by reviewing the hospital medical records from 1980-1989. During that decade, 148 residents (111 women, 37 men) had new hip fractures. The age-sex adjusted incidence for the population aged 50 years or more was 170.3 cases/100,000/year [95% confidence interval (CI) = 144.8-195.9] (women = 241.4 with 95% CI = 211.0-271.9; men = 79.4 with 95% CI = 62.0-96.9). Age-specific rates increased with age and were higher among women only over 60 years old. On the basis of the 1981 census and comparison of age-adjusted rates, we determined that incidence rates of these fractures for men and women on Ischia are among the lowest in the world: Ischian men have a hip fracture incidence second only to that of South African Bantu males. The female/male ratio on the island, one of the highest reported, is 3.05:1. Our data suggest that further studies on Ischia may provide important clues regarding risk and/or protective factors for hip fracture.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Reumatologia, Università degli Studi Federico II di Napoli.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oriente
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Puente
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scarpa
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mantova
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mandes
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Vuoso
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications*; D017678:Sex Distribution
vernacular_title: Rilievo di un'incidenza estremamente bassa di fratture del femore prossimale da osteoporosi nella popolazione dell'isola di Ischia.