Hip fracture incidence in Central Norway: A followup study

Studies in the 1980s, including one from our own region, in most cases found that the incidence of hip fractures was increasing. In the 1990s, however, studies from Sweden and the USA showed that the increase had stopped. In this study we report the incidence of hip fractures in our region. The number of cervical and trochanteric fractures in a defined region of Central Norway during the periods 1992-1993 and 1997-1998 was found by a thorough search and collation of the hand written operation registers, the registers of the radiology departments and the hospital discharge registers in the region. 1312 hip fractures were sustained during 1997-1998 - 10% more than in the preceding period. While we had found a highly significant increase in incidence in our previous study between 1972-1973 and 1983-1984 of 2% per year, there had been no statistically significant increase in incidence between 1983-1984 and 1997-1998 (0.55% per year). The incidence was 18% higher in urban than in rural areas in 1992-1993, and 33% higher in 1997-1998. Whereas the age and sex corrected distribution had been 32% trochanteric fractures and 68% cervical fractures in both 1972-1973 and in 1983-1984, the proportion of trochanteric fractures had increased to 44% in 1992-1993 and 68% in 1997-1998. We conclude that there has been an insignificant increase in hip fracture incidence since 1983-1984, that the lower incidence in rural areas persists, and that there has been a dramatic increase in the proportion of trochanteric fractures.