Appendicular skeletal status and hip fracture in the elderly: 14-year prospective data.

Fourteen-year follow-up of 535 elderly people included in a British survey in 1973 revealed 23 incident hip fractures. The relationship between appendicular bone mass, assessed in the initial survey by metacarpal morphometry, and fracture risk was analyzed. There was an increased risk of hip fracture with declining metacarpal cortical index at baseline. The risk increase, however, was not statistically significant. It remained similar after adjustment was made for the reported prevalence of falls. These prospective data suggest that osteoporosis may contribute less to the risk of hip fracture in the very elderly than in younger individuals.