Findings of a new study show higher mortality among Black women who were between 65 and 74 within six months of a hip fracture.
In contrast, data from 2010 to 2016 among Medicare beneficiaries (but not Medicare Advantage enrollees) showed that the one-year mortality risk was 24% higher for Black women.
The study was published on Oct. 25 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Previous research has reported racial disparities in outcomes after women have had hip fractures. Studies on Medicare data have shown higher mortality rates a year after hip fractures in Black women compared with white women, and some data indicates the variations could depend on where women live.
The team evaluated data from 691 Black women with an average age of 83 along with data from 20,450 white women who were about the same age who were enrolled in a health system in California. The age and fracture type were similar in both racial groups. The researchers noted that 23% of Black women had a previous fracture compared with 33.5% of white women. The Black women were more likely to have diabetes.
Overall, mortality rates among both groups of women were similar six months and 12 months after having a hip fracture, with one exception: Black women between the ages of 65 and 74 years died at a higher rate (14.9%) than white women (8.9%).
The authors noted a lack of data on other physical, social, and clinical factors affecting hip fracture survival. They also noted the relatively small number of Black women with hip fracture compared with white women.
“These data may not reflect other geographic regions, where racial disparities in health may exist,” the authors wrote.
