Race and sex differences in mortality following fracture of the hip

This paper describes the all-cause mortality experience, following a fracture of the hip, of 712 027 persons covered by the Medicare program from 1984 through 1987. White women experienced the lowest mortality rate (17.2 per 1000 person-months), followed by Black women (22.9 per 1000 person- months), Black men (33.5 per 1000 person-months), and White men (33.7 per 1000 person-months). The observed race-sex differences in survival were found at all ages and regardless of the number of comorbid conditions listed with the discharge diagnosis. While these data demonstrate marked race-sex differences in survival following hip fracture, the cause of these differences is not immediately apparent and demands further investigation.