Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the effect of alcohol-related disease on hip fracture and mortality. METHODS: A retrospective cohort design was used. The study cohort consisted of hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries with alcohol-related disease (n = 150,119) and randomly matched controls without alcohol-related disease (n = 726,218) identified through the 1988-1989 inpatient claims file. Incidence rates of hip fracture and mortality were examined. RESULTS: During the study period, 20,620 patients developed hip fracture, with 6973 cases among patients with alcohol-related disease and 13,647 cases among patients without alcohol-related disease. After adjustment for potential confounders, patients with alcohol-related disease had a 2.6-fold increased risk of hip fracture relative to patients without alcohol-related disease (95% confidence interval = 2.5, 2.6). Patients with alcohol-related disease had a higher risk of mortality at 1 year after hip fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol-related disease increases the risk of hip fracture significantly and reduces long-term survival. The present results suggest that patients hospitalized for alcohol-related disease should be targeted for hip fracture prevention programs.