Is there a difference in timing and cause of death after fractures in the elderly?

Background: Patients who sustain osteoporotic fractures have excessive mortality compared to age-matched controls, which is most pronounced within the first 6 months postfracture. However, the timing and cause of death in the first 3 months after sustaining a fracture are unclear.

Questions/purposes: We therefore evaluated and compared the timing and cause of death in patients who sustained a pelvic, proximal femoral, spinal, or proximal humeral fracture 30 and 90 days after fracture.

Validity and responsiveness of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II to assess disability in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Objective: To investigate the validity and responsiveness of the World Health Organization Disability Schedule II (WHODAS II) in patients with established RA.

Methods: In 85 RA patients admitted for rehabilitation, the WHODAS II (0-100) was applied at admission and 6 weeks after discharge. Additional assessments included measures of physical and psychological functioning, disease activity and quality of life.