Previous medical problems in 326 consecutive hip fracture patients

Pre-existing medical problems of elderly patients with hip fracture are seldom considered in orthopaedic literature, although they are indisputably the most important determinants for mortality, morbidity and final outcome. It is the purpose of this study to determine these problems in our hip fracture patients. Previous medical disorders and treatments, age, sex and type of fracture were prospectively recorded from all patients over 65 years old, diagnosed with hip fracture in a tertiary university general hospital during 2004. There were 326 patients who fractured their hip (81.04 hip fractures/100,000 people/year) (83.67.3 years old) (85.3% female). The patients existing medical conditions included hypertension (53% of patients), diabetes (19%), dementia (18%), cerebrovascular disease (11%), cataracts and/or blindness (10%), cardiac arrhythmia (9%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (9%), heart failure (8%), ischaemic heart disease (7%), psychiatric disorders other than dementia (7%), peptic ulcer (7%), and Parkinson's disease (5%); only 7% had no known significant medical problem beyond their fracture. Cardiovascular and neurological disorders, the most frequent, were also the most dangerous as potential sources for complications and difficulties during anaesthesia, surgery, immediate postoperative period and rehabilitation. Diabetes, the second most frequent diagnosis, complicated any other existing condition.