Risk of postmenopausal hip fracture in Mexican American women.

To assess the risk of hip fracture in Mexican Americans, the ethnicity of 80 women aged 50 years and over admitted with hip fractures to a Texas hospital was compared with that of age-matched women hospitalized for other reasons. The risk of fracture for Mexican Americans was only 35 per cent that of Whites (95% CI = 19 per cent, 65 per cent). This finding was confirmed in a chart survey performed in a second hospital population. These results suggest that Mexican American women may receive less potential benefit from preventive measures for hip fracture than Whites.