[High morbid-mortability and reduced level of osteoporosis diagnosis among elderly people who had hip fractures in São Paulo City].
OBJECTIVE
To know the morbid-mortality following an osteoporotic hip fracture in elderly patients living in São Paulo.


METHODS
This study evaluated prospectively all patient over 60 years admitted in 2 school-hospitals in the city of São Paulo in a following 6-month period due to a osteoporotic proximal femur fracture. All of them filled up the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and had their chart reviewed. After 6 months they were re-interviewed. Linear regression analysis was utilized to determine the factors related to functional ability.


RESULTS
56 patients were included (mean age 80.7 +/- 7.9 years old, 80.4% females). After the 6-month follow up the mortality rate was 23.2%. Only 30% of the patients returned to their previous activities, and 11.6% became totally dependent. Factors related to worse functional ability after fracture were HAQ before fracture, institutionalization after fracture and age (r(2) 0.482). The diagnosis of osteoporosis was informed only by 13.9% of them, and just 11.6% received any treatment for that.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results showed the great impact of these fractures on mortality and in the functional ability of these patients. Nevertheless, many of our physicians do not inform the patients about the diagnosis of osteoporosis and, consequently, the treatment of this condition is jeopardized.
Fortes
Erika M
EM
Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. erikamf@uol.com.br
Raffaelli
Maurício P
MP
Bracco
Oswaldo L
OL
Takata
Edmilson T T
ET
Reis
Fernando B
FB
Santili
Cláudio
C
Lazaretti-Castro
Marise
M
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000401:mortality* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020127:Recovery of Function; D017678:Sex Distribution