title: Hip fractures and chronic alcohol excess: a series of 7,023 cases.
abstract: We aim to compare trends in characteristics and outcomes for 131 patients with evidence of excess alcohol intake at the time of admission with a hip fracture against 6,892 hip fracture patients with no evidence of alcohol excess. Alcohol excess was determined by a finding of abnormal liver function tests in association with a history of excessive alcohol consumption. Patients who consumed excess alcohol were younger (64 versus 80 years mean age), more likely to be male (47% versus 22%), smoke cigarettes (54% versus 11%), be more mobile and less likely to use a walking aid (28% versus 46%). They were also more likely to sustain an extracapsular fracture (53% versus 39%) and to be living in their own homes at the time of injury (85% versus 66%). Hypertension and cardiac disease were less common in those with alcohol excess. Postoperatively those with alcohol abuse had a shorter hospital stay (mean nine days versus 16 days) but were at a greater risk of developing deep wound infections (2.3% versus 0.6%). For those patients who sustained intracapsular fractures treated by internal fixation there was an increased risk of fracture non-union occurring (29% versus 16%) but there were no other differences in operative complications.
authors.affiliation: 1 Soft Tissue Sarcoma and Joint Reconstruction Unit, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, London - UK.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Martyn J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Parker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies