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Emerging trends in hospitalisation for fragility fractures in Ireland

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Abstract

Background

We analysed hospital admissions and bed occupancy for fragility fractures in Ireland over a 15-year period to assess fracture admission trends and to project admissions over the next three decades.

Methods

We used the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) scheme to extract data on fracture admissions to Irish hospitals between 2000 and 2014 inclusive. We calculated absolute numbers and age-standardised rates of hospitalisations for men and women ≥ 50 years for each osteoporotic-type fracture. We projected fracture numbers and bed days using these trends, and associated costs to 2046 based on 2014 rates.

Results

The absolute number of all fragility fracture admissions increased by 30% between 2000 and 2014, for both men (40%) and women (27%). In-patient bed days for osteoporotic fractures have increased by 51% in the same period. Hip fractures dominated admissions, accounting for 36.5% of all admissions and almost half (46.7%) of all bed days. Age-standardised rates of hip fracture admission decreased significantly (p < 0.001) in women, but not in men, while rates of non-hip osteoporotic fracture admissions have not changed significantly for men or women. Hospitalisations for all osteoporotic fractures are projected to increase by 150% to 31,605 in 2046, 58% of whom will be 80 years or older.

Conclusions

There has been a significant increase in the number of fracture admissions in Irish men and women over the past 15 years. This is projected to increase further over the next three decades which will place a significant burden on the Irish healthcare system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The North Western Rheumatology Unit, Our Lady’s Hospital, Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim, Ireland

    M. A. Kelly, B. McGowan, B. Whelan & C. Silke

  2. St. Vincent’s University Hospital, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    M. J. McKenna

  3. Population Health Sciences Division, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland

    K. Bennett

  4. The Department of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

    J. J. Carey, B. Whelan & C. Silke

Authors
  1. M. A. Kelly
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Correspondence to M. A. Kelly.

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This Article does not contain any studies with human or animal participants performed by any of the authors. For this type of study, formal consent was not required.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Table 3 Distribution of the ICD – 10 codes used to identify typical and atypical osteoporotic type fractures
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Kelly, M.A., McGowan, B., McKenna, M.J. et al. Emerging trends in hospitalisation for fragility fractures in Ireland. Ir J Med Sci 187, 601–608 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-018-1743-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-018-1743-z

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