Abstract

Background: Hip fracture is a preventable cause of disability among elderly people. Aim: To study factors associated to hip fractures in Chile. Patients and methods: Patients admitted to seven public hospitals in Chile, with hip fracture not due to major accidents, were considered as cases. To each, at least one age and sex matched hospitalized control, without or neoplastic diseases, was assigned. All patients were subjected to an inquiry, using an instrument devised by the WHO. Results: Two hundred sixty eight cases and 501 controls were studied. Cases and controls has similar educational and labor histories. The right hip was fractures in 47% of cases and the left in the rest. Compared with controls, cases had a hig-her body mass index, loss of height during life, rate of hysterectomy, incidence of smoking and a lower consumption of diary products. Cases had higher risk of falls inside their homes and controls outside. Conclusions: The obtained information may contribute to the development of preventive measures and reduce the public health impact of hip fracture.