The role of sarcopenia and undernutrition in disability after hip fracture

Funded Activity Summary

Hip fracture is one of the most costly and devastating medical events which can befall an elderly individual, and is expected to affect 40,000 Australians per year by the year 2040. It often results in permanent loss of walking abilities and independence, as well as a severely diminished quality of life. For example, 80% of elderly Australians who fracture their hip will not regain their previous level of walking ability, 20% will have died, and up to 25% will be in permanent nursing home residence 12 months later. Although hip fracture has been thought of as a problem primarily related to osteoporosis (age-related loss of bone), it is now increasingly clear that other factors such as muscle wasting and weakness, gait and balance problems and poor dietary intake are also risk factors for this condition. Although surgical techniques have advanced to the point that most operations to repair hip fracture are now successful, the rehabilitation outcomes are disappointingly poor compared to other orthopaedic injuries. We believe that this is because recovery after hip fracture is in fact not primarily related to the bone disease itself, but to inadequate muscle bulk and strength. It is likely that already frail patients with a new hip fracture will experience further muscle wasting over time, because of their very low levels of physical activity, poor nutritional intake, depression, social isolation, and impaired memory in some cases. Their poor diet may be related in part to their difficulty in getting out of the home, preparing meals, reduced appetite and poor morale in the post-fracture period. If our theory is correct, then we will be able to prove that disability after hip fracture is closely related to muscle mass, and many common clinical problems contribute to this underlying mechanism of dysfunction. We will test these ideas by following patients who have had a hip fracture for 12 months with periodic detailed assessments

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2000

End Date: 01-01-2002

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $315,391.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Geriatrics And Gerontology

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

body composition | dietary intake | disability | gait and balance disorders | hip fracture | osteoporosis | sarcopenia | skeletal muscle mass | undernutrition

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