[Costs of different intervention strategies to prevent hip fractures]

The cost of primary prevention and the number of hip fractures prevented was compared in different scenarios. Primary prevention with hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) in women over the age of 50 years, secondary prevention with HRT in women over 50 years with low bone mineral on screening, use of external hip protectors in nursing home residents, use of calcium and vitamin D in nursing home residents and tertiary prevention with bisphosphonates (alendronate) or external hip protectors in subjects with a previous hip fracture were evaluated. External hip protectors or calcium plus vitamin D were cheap in nursing home residents. The economic cost of bisphosphonate treatment was high even in tertiary prevention in the high risk group with previous hip fracture. It was doubtful whether potential savings in prevention would out-weigh the cost in younger individuals even in high-risk groups.