Hip fracture incidence among elderly Hispanics.

Abstract

This study estimated hip fracture incidence for elderly Hispanics in the United States. A cohort of Spanish-surnamed 1992 Medicare enrollees was followed for 2 years. Hip fractures were identified by inpatient diagnostic code. For Hispanic women, the national age-adjusted hip fracture rate was 7.3 per 1000 person-years; for men, the rate was 3.3. Rates varied markedly, with higher rates for the predominantly Mexican-American southwestern states than for Puerto Ricans. Nationally, the Hispanic population is at intermediate risk of hip fracture between Blacks and Whites, but geographic variation suggests that Mexican Americans are at higher risk than Puerto Ricans.