Vitamin D and Hip Fracture

Hip fractures are recognized as a major public health problem worldwide. Demographic changes will lead to enormous increases in the number of hip fractures and projections indicate that the number of hip fractures occurring worldwide each year will rise from 1.26 million in 1990 to 4.5 million by 2050. However, preventive strategies are available. Supplementation with Ca2+ and vitamin D restores bone quality through suppression of secondary hyperparathyroidism and decreases the risk of falling through improvement of neuromuscular coordination and body sway. This leads to a reduction of hip fracture risk of 43% in the vitamin D-insufficient elderly. Treatment with the bisphosphonate alendronate increases bone strength and results in a 51% reduction of hip fracture risk. Hip protectors absorb energy during a fall and reduce hip fracture risk by 56%. Combining these three procedures could prevent a large proportion of hip fractures in the future.