Improvements in general health among the elderly: a factor in the rising incidence of hip fractures?

Both hip fracture incidence and life expectancy are known to have increased during the last decades. Seventeen studies of hip fracture incidence from Great Britain and Scandinavia were collected from the literature. It was found that there was a good correlation for both men and women between the incidence of cervical but not trochanteric fractures in the 75-79 year age group and the mean life expectancy at 70 years of age at the time in the country concerned. The increased incidence is probably accounted for partly by the increased lifespan of the infirm. It is, however, suggested that increases in life expectancy among a majority of the elderly also entail better general health at any particular age, and that this may lead to a higher level of physical mobility which raises the risk of falls and fractures.