Background: osteoporosis, depression and other neuro-psychiatric disorders are very common after 50 years of age. Although these conditions recognize several and specific etiologic factors, they however appear to share physiologic, environmental processes and risk factors which may explain their possible association.
Methods: we have built up a specific research project (the CODE study, Connections between the outcomes of osteoporotic hip fractures and depression, delirium or dementia in elderly patients), and carried out a preliminary survey on 55 hip fractured elderly patients (42 women, mean age 85 years old and 13 men, mean age 82 years old), hospitalized at SS. Annunziata hospital in Florence from July to September 2010.
Results: there was a significant difference (p=0.010) in the functional recovery after surgery (as measured by Cumulated Ambulation Score, CAS) between depressed and non-depressed subjects (n=38), with a worse recovery and a lower CAS score in depressed patients (n=17). We also observed a higher prevalence of depression in the osteoporotic-fragile elderly people (69,1% of total sample).
Conclusion: our preliminary survey has validated the suitability of the CODE study protocol in assessing connections between outcomes of osteoporotic hip fractures and depression in elderly patients, fostering the extension of the study (and suggesting also the inclusion of delirium and dementia) within a multicentric prospective study aimed to provide specific information and guidelines for osteoporotic fractured patients with concomitant depression or other neuro-psychiatric disorders.
Keywords: depression; elderly; hip fracture; neuro-psychiatric disorders; osteoporosis.