Contralateral non-simultaneous proximal femoral fractures in patients over 65 years old.

Purpose: Epidemiological and clinical parameters according to the Parker-Palmer Index (PPI) have not been specifically studied as predictors of re-fracture time in patients over 65 years old with contralateral hip fracture. The main purpose of this study was to assess whether these parameters could represent a prognostic factor in this population.

Methods: This retrospective study included all consecutive patients older than 65 years that suffered from a proximal femoral fracture, 31 according to Association for Osteosynthesis/Orthopaedic Trauma Association classification, treated at our unit between Feb 1st 2019 and Feb 1st 2020.

Results: This study enrolled 387 patients. Thirty-seven of them had already incurred a contralateral hip fracture: seven males and 30 females. The median time between the first and second hip fractures was 3.5 years. This study revealed that increasing age (p = 0.003), male sex (p = 0.029) and a PPI value ≥ 5 between the first and second hip fracture (p = 0.015) are risk factors associated with a contralateral hip fracture in the first three years after the first episode. There were no statistically significant differences regarding anti-osteoporotic therapy and the anatomic site of the first hip fracture episode.

Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that several risk factors have a crucial role in hip re-fracture time in patients over 65 years old.