title: Parameters of bone health and fracture risk in older female fall victims: what do they tell us?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A common and severe osteoporotic type fracture in older women is a hip fracture. It is not clear whether bone turnover parameters measured in blood can be a useful tool to predict fracture risk in older persons. The aim of the current study was to assess the association between serum vitamin D (25OHD) levels, parathyroid hormone (PTH), total osteocalcin, carboxy-terminal collagen crosslinks (CTX) and hip fractures in older fallers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single centre, prospective cohort study of bone parameters was carried out in 400 female patients aged > 70 years including 200 with a hip fracture and 200 without fractures, admitted after a fall between January 2005 and December 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum total osteocalcin levels were significantly lower in the fracture group compared to the non-fracture group (20.4 ng/ml vs 26.1 ng/ml, respectively, p = 0.01). This finding remained significant after exclusion of the patients on bisphosphonates (p = 0.003). There were no significant differences in 25OHD, PTH or CTX levels between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the current study there was an association between the presence of a hip fracture and lower total serum osteocalcin concentrations. This could be indicative of low bone turnover osteoporosis in these women. An association for other bone turnover markers was lacking.
authors.affiliation: Trauma Hospital Meidling, Kundratstraße 37, 1120, Vienna, Austria, heinrich.thaler@auva.at.
authors.forename: Heinrich W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Thaler
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oudshoorn
authors.forename: Klaas A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Hartholt
authors.forename: Tischa J M
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: van der Cammen
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015984:Causality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000097:blood*; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood; D016387:Women's Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D024042:Collagen Type I; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D015675:Osteocalcin; D014807:Vitamin D