Recommendations for the acute and long-term medical management of low-trauma hip fractures

Abstract

Hip fractures are the most serious complication of osteoporosis and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Generally, patients who sustain osteoporotic hip fractures are older adults who have a number of co-morbid diseases which predispose them to perioperative complications, disability and death. Furthermore, patients who survive a hip fracture are at higher risk of a subsequent fracture. The morbidity and mortality of hip fractures can be substantially reduced by a structured multidisciplinary approach to pre- and postoperative management. This review will focus on the epidemiology of hip fractures, predictors of mortality and the acute and long-term management of hip fractures.