The economic impact of geriatric hip fractures.

Hip fractures, a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly, are expected to exponentially increase in frequency over the next 50 years as a result of increased life expectancy and population growth. The economic impact of the cost of hip fractures may be enormous. The overall cost of hip fractures includes not only death and illness, but also the costs of medical and custodial care, functional limitations, reduced quality of life, loss of independence, and inability to work, as well as other factors that are difficult to assess--most notably, the indirect effect of the hip fracture on the spouse or family members responsible for care. This review will evaluate the cost of geriatric hip fractures in the hopes of defining the enormous socioeconomic burden of such fractures.