Medications and fall-related fractures in the elderly.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This article examines associations between the use of selected medications and fall-related fractures in the household population aged 65 or older. DATA SOURCE: The analysis was based on cross-sectional data from the household component of the 1996/97 cycle of the National Population Health Survey. Data were from a sample of 13,363 respondents aged 65 or older. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses were used to study cross-sectional associations between selected medications used in the previous month and fractures occurring in the previous year. Multiple logistic regression analyses controlled for potentially confounding factors. MAIN RESULTS: Among elderly individuals who sustained any activity-limiting injury in 1996/97, an estimated 65,000 reported the most serious such injury had been a fall-related fracture. The odds of a fall-related fracture were significantly low among people who were taking diuretics/antihypertensives. Arthritis and urinary incontinence were positively associated with fall-related fractures.