November 5, 1987New England Journal of Medicine
Hip Fracture and the Use of Estrogens in Postmenopausal Women
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Overview
Retrospective cohort study finds estrogen use reduces hip fracture risk in postmenopausal women, suggesting a protective effect that is strongest with recent treatment.
Key Points
- To assess the effect of postmenopausal estrogen use on the subsequent risk of hip fracture.
- Retrospective cohort study involving 2,873 postmenopausal women from the Framingham Heart Study.
- Evaluated estrogen use, body weight, age at menopause, smoking, and alcohol consumption recorded during routine biennial examinations.
- Hip fractures occurred in 179 postmenopausal women, with incidence increasing exponentially after age 50 and showing an inverse relationship with body weight.
- Ever-use of estrogens significantly reduced hip fracture risk after adjustment for age and weight (relative risk [RR] = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.98).
- Recent estrogen use within the previous two years provided greater protection (RR = 0.34; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.98), with protective effects also observed when initiating therapy within four years of menopause.
Cite This Study
Kiel et al. (1987) studied this question.