Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026
In Vivo Quantification of Hip Arthrokinematics during Dynamic Weight-bearing Activities using Dual Fluoroscopy
Published on: July 2, 2021
Cardiovascular diseases and future risk of hip fracture in women
U Sennerby1, B Farahmand, A Ahlbom
1Department of Surgical Sciences, Section of Orthopaedics, University Hospital, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden. ulf.sennerby@surgsci.uu.se
Insights
Women diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) face a doubled risk of hip fracture. This risk is highest in the first year post-diagnosis and linked to common underlying health issues.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and Public Health
- Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases
- Bone Health and Cardiovascular Interplay
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are increasingly linked to osteoporosis, potentially explaining higher mortality post-hip fracture.
- Uncertainty exists regarding fracture risk following CVD and its specific subgroups.
- Understanding the CVD-fracture link may illuminate shared pathological pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the risk of future hip fractures in women.
- To identify specific CVD subgroups that elevate hip fracture risk.
- To contribute to a better understanding of common underlying mechanisms in osteoporosis and CVD.
Main Methods:
- A population-based case-control study involving 1,327 hip fracture cases and 3,170 controls (women aged 50-81) in Sweden.
- Utilized linkage with the Swedish National Inpatient Register to gather pre-fracture disease information.
- Employed unconditional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Main Results:
- Cardiovascular diseases were diagnosed in 25% of fracture cases versus 12% of controls.
- A doubled hip fracture risk (OR 2.38) was observed after a CVD diagnosis, even after adjusting for other chronic diseases.
- Hypertension, heart failure, and cerebrovascular lesions were independent risk factors, showing 2- to 3-fold increased odds.
Conclusions:
- A significantly elevated risk of hip fracture exists in women following a cardiovascular disease diagnosis.
- This finding supports the hypothesis of shared pathological pathways between osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
- The results highlight the need for integrated management strategies for patients with both conditions.
Unlabelled:
We used a population-based case-control study in women and linkage to the Swedish in-patient register to examine if there is an increased risk of hip fracture after a cardiovascular disease. There was a substantially increased risk of hip fracture after a diagnosis of a cardiovascular disease.
Introduction:
Recent data have indicated that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) might have a relationship to osteoporosis, which may explain the increased risk of mortality after hip fracture. It is uncertain, however, whether there is an increased risk of fracture after any cardiovascular disease and in subgroups of CVDs. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are associations between CVD and future hip fracture risk. Knowledge of the risk pattern would lead to better understanding of common pathologic pathways of osteoporosis and CVD.
Methods:
We conducted a population-based case-control study of 1,327 incident hip fracture cases and 3,170 randomly selected population controls among women 50-81 years old in Sweden. Information on cardiovascular and other diseases before the fracture was obtained by linkage to the Swedish National Inpatient Register. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) where calculated by unconditional logistic regression.
Results:
Before study entry, CVDs were diagnosed more than twice as commonly among fracture cases (25%) as among controls (12%). Also, after adjustment for variables including several chronic diseases, we found a doubled risk of hip fracture after a CVD event (OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.92-2.94). There was a gradient increase in risk of hip fracture with increasing number of hospitalizations for CVD and highest fracture risk occurred the first year after the CVD event. Hypertension, heart failure, and cerebrovascular lesions remained independent risk factors, with 2- to 3-fold increases in odds ratios, even after mutual adjustments for other CVDs.
Conclusion:
There was a substantially increased risk of hip fracture in women after a diagnosis of a CVD, a finding compatible with the concept of common pathologic pathways for osteoporotic fractures and CVD.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
01:30Coronary Artery Disease I: Introduction
01:29Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
01:20Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System III: X-Ray
Definition and Purpose
An X-ray, or radiograph, is a non-invasive method that uses ionizing radiation to take images of internal structures. It is mainly used in cardiac imaging to examine the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels, aiming to identify abnormalities in the heart's size, shape, and position, such as heart failure, congenital defects, and vascular...
01:27Psychoneuroimmunology: Cardiovascular Disease
A key area of focus in PNI is the relationship between stress and coronary...