Increased Risk of Hip Fracture in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
Analysis of data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), the largest all-payer health care database in the United States, documented that hip fracture prevalence in people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is 2.844 times greater than age-matched controls. A retrospective cohort analysis of 20 years of data from the NIS was based on International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision (ICD 9) codes for MS and hip fracture. A total of 1,066,404 hip fracture admissions were identified and 0.25% of these patients had MS. MS patients suffered hip fracture at a younger age, but had lower mortality and lower rates of discharge to a nursing home or rehabilitation facility. Impaired ambulation, frequent falls, prolonged immobilization, and the high rate of vitamin D deficiency in patients with MS contributed to increased fall risk. Clinicians should promote physical activity for patients with MS because immobility causes lower bone mineral density and reduced bone formation.
Bhattacharya RK, Vaishnav N, Dubinsky RM. Is there an increased risk of hip fracture in multiple sclerosis? Analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. J Multidiscip Healthc. 2014;7:119-122.
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