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Women's Fracture Rates, Risk Vary by Race, Ethnicity

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 15, 2024.

THURSDAY, Aug. 15, 2024 -- Racial and ethnic differences exist in fracture rates and risk among women, according to a study published online Aug. 15 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Nicole C. Wright, Ph.D., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues used data from the Women’s Health Initiative (1998 to 2022) to assess contemporary fracture trends by race and ethnicity (clinical, hip, and major osteoporotic fractures [MOFs]).

The researchers found that during a median follow-up of 19.4 years, 44.2 percent of the 160,824 women experienced any clinical fracture, including 36,278 MOFs and 8,962 hip fractures. Black, Pacific Islander, Asian, and multiracial women had a significantly lower risk for any clinical and MOFs compared with White women, while only Black and Asian women had a significantly lower hip fracture risk. Among Asian women, Filipina women had a 24 percent lower risk for any clinical fracture versus Japanese women. Compared with non-Hispanic women, Hispanic women had a significantly lower risk for any clinical, hip, and MOF fractures, with no differences in fracture risk observed within Hispanic origin groups.

"This study is the first to provide novel fracture incidence data in many racial, ethnic, and origin groups that have been understudied in the U.S. and highlights the need to understand the factors that underlie these differences," lead author Jane Cauley, Dr. P.H., from the University of Pittsburgh, said in a statement. "The difference in fracture rates in detailed Asian and Hispanic groups highlight the difficulty in applying a single race/ethnic adjustment to fracture risk calculators."

One author disclosed financial ties to Radius Pharma and argenX.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted August 2024

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