Sequential hip fractures in elderly patients.

Osteoporotic hip fractures are an increasing cause of disability to elderly patients and expenditure to the NHS. The aim of this work was to determine whether the rate of sequential hip fractures in elderly patients has changed over the past 20 years. The design was to do a retrospective study of 186 patients admitted with a diagnosis of femoral neck fracture in order to determine how many had suffered a previous contralateral hip fracture. The results indicated that the number of patients who had had previous surgery for a contralateral hip fracture was 11.8%. In conclusion, the rate of sequential hip fractures in elderly patients has not changed significantly over the past two decades.