A 12-year ecological study of hip fracture rates among older Taiwanese adults

Hip fracture rates in Taiwan are among the highest in the world. The aim of this study was to describe the trends of hip fracture hospitalizations among Taiwanese elderly (aged ≥ 65 years) and the trends of antiosteoporosis medication expenditure from 1999 to 2010. We conducted an ecological study using inpatient health care-utilization data from the Department of Health, and medication expenditure data from the IMS Health, Taiwan. The International Classification of Disease, Clinical Modification, 9th version, code 820 was used to identify hip fracture hospitalizations. Medications included alendronate, calcitonin, ibandronate, raloxifene, strontium ranelate, teriparatide, and zoledronic acid. Year 2010 was assigned as the reference point for age-standardized rates, currency exchange (to the US dollar), and discount rates. Over the 12-year study period, age-standardized hip fracture hospitalizations decreased by 2.7 % annually (p for trend < 0.001) for Taiwanese elders. The decline was more obvious among those aged ≥75 years (6.1 %). However, the number of hip fracture hospitalizations increased from 14,342 to 18,023. Total hospitalization costs increased by US$0.6 ± 0.2 million annually (p for trend = 0.002); however, the per capita costs decreased by US$23.0 ± 8.0 (p for trend = 0.017). The total medication expenditure increased 7.2-fold, from US$8.1 million to US$58.9 million, accounting for an increase in the overall pharmaceutical market by fivefold, from 3.4 to 15.9 ‰ (both p for trend < 0.001). From 1999 to 2010, there was a decline in hip fracture rates among elderly Taiwanese adults with a concomitant increase in antiosteoporosis medication expenditure.