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AAOS: Osteoporosis Fractures More Often Fatal for Men

Mortality rate 18.7 percent for men, 13.9 percent for women year after fracture

WEDNESDAY, March 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Men are more likely than women to die after an osteoporosis-related fracture, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, held from March 14 to 18 in San Diego.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 1.6 million Americans, aged 65 and older, who had osteoporosis and experienced a fracture between 2005 and 2009. Of those patients, 87 percent were women.

The mortality rate one year after a fracture was 18.7 percent for men and 13.9 percent for women (P < 0.001). Ankle fractures were the only exception, with similar mortality rates for men and women (8.1 percent for males and 8.4 percent for females; P = 0.25). Women were five times more likely to experience an initial fracture than men, but had a slightly lower risk for subsequent fractures within three years of the first fracture.

“Although females are more likely to sustain an initial fragility fracture compared to males, the rate of a subsequent fragility fracture within three years is comparable between genders. Men are at greater risk for mortality after these injuries,” the authors write. “These findings may be used to better counsel patients after an initial fragility fracture and to improve predictive tools for monitoring subsequent injuries.”

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