At an average follow-up of 2.1 years, we reviewed the records of 241
patients who had had a fracture of the hip. The average age of the patients
was 75.4 years. The rate of mortality one year after the fracture was 21.6
per cent for the total group, 8.0 per cent for the low-risk group, and 49.4
per cent for the high-risk group. The standard mortality ratio was six
times higher for the high-risk group than for the general population
(individuals who did not have a fracture), matched for age. It was highest
for patients who were less than seventy years old and lowest for those who
were older than eighty. However, in the second year after the fracture, the
standard mortality ratio approached unity--that is, the rate of mortality
approached that of the general population. The results suggest that there
is an inverse relationship between mortality and advanced age and that the
impact of a fracture of the hip on mortality is seen primarily in the first
year after injury.