Wrist fractures tied to disability risk

Wrist fractures might lead to disability and lower quality of life, a study of female seniors suggests.

Wrist fractures are the most common upper-extremity fractures in older adults, researchers stated in this week’s on-line issue of the British Medical Journal.

In the study, U.S. researchers looked at 6,107 healthy women, age 65 and older, without prior wrist or hip fracture who were analyzed every two years for an average of 7.6 years.

During the study period, 268 women had a wrist fracture.

Dr. Beatrice Edwards, an associate professor of medicine and orthopedics at Northwestern University in Chicago, and her colleagues looked at the women’s capability to perform five activities:

Prepare meals. Perform heavy housekeeping. Climb 10 stairs. Go shopping. Get out of a car.

Having a wrist fracture increased the odds of having a clinically important functional decline by 1.48 times compared with women without a hip fracture, after taking demographic, health and lifestyle factors into account.

Wrist fractures were clinically as significant as falls, arthritis, diabetes and other risk factors known to reduce seniors’ capability to perform daily functions, the researcher said.

“Wrist fractures are common and result in clinically important functional decline in women who are fairly healthy and physically fit,” the study’s authors concluded.

“Because of the magnitude of the problem and the consequences of the complications, greater public health awareness of the impact of osteoporotic wrist fractures is needed. Osteoporosis outreach should highlight the prevention of wrist fractures.”

The findings may not apply to men, women living in institutions or in poor health or other ethnic groups, the study’s authors said.

Participants were primarily Caucasian.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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Submited at Saturday, July 10th, 2010 at 9:00 am on Health by arrisa
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