Duration of osteoporosis treatment to reduce the risk of subsequent osteoporotic fracture and all-cause mortality in elderly hip fracture patients in a Korean real-world study

Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the association between treatment duration of osteoporosis medications and clinical outcomes of patients with hip fracture. We found that the risk of subsequent osteoporotic fractures and all-cause mortality showed a decreasing trend as the treatment duration of osteoporosis medications increased. Purpose: To assess the risk of subsequent osteoporotic fracture (SOF) and all-cause mortality (ACM) in elderly patients with hip fracture in South Korea and to evaluate the potential reduction in the risk of SOF and ACM with varying durations of osteoporosis treatment. Methods: Newly diagnosed patients with hip fracture (age ≥ 60 years) who initiated osteoporosis medication within 3 months after the hip fracture from 2003–2014 were identified from the National Health Insurance Service-Senior cohort. The risk of SOF and ACM was estimated after the 1-year exposure-measurement period. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were calculated for treatment duration of osteoporosis medications categorized as short-term treatment (ST, < 3 months), early discontinuation (ED, ≥ 3– < 6 months), late discontinuation (LD, ≥ 6– < 12 months), and treatment continuation (TC, ≥ 12 months). Results: A total of 4,421 patients were included in the analysis. The 3-year cumulative incidence of SOF was 22.4%, 22.0%, 23.9%, and 21.6%, and that of 3-year ACM was 29.8%, 27.0%, 19.7%, and 18.9% in the ST, ED, LD, and TC groups, respectively. Compared with the ST group, the risk of SOF showed a decreasing trend in the TC group (aHR [95% CI], 0.77 [0.58–1.00]). The risk of ACM was significantly reduced in the LD (aHR 0.68 [0.57–0.82]) and TC (aHR 0.65 [0.50–0.84]) groups. Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of early and continuous osteoporosis treatment for elderly patients with hip fracture to improve health outcomes. The benefits of long-term osteoporosis treatment should be discussed in clinical practice to improve overall health outcomes.