Fractures of the femoral neck in Australian Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.

The objective was to study patients of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin who were admitted to Cairns Base Hospital with the diagnosis of femoral neck fracture. An analysis of all 232 admissions with this diagnosis between November 1997 and July 2000 was carried out. Information was gathered from data accumulated on the Clinical Pathways database; other local data was also considered. Patients registered as being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin have a lower incidence of these fractures than might be expected on an overall population basis, but similar rates on age-standardised data. The female age profile is substantially older than the female non-indigenous osteoporotic fracture group. Indigenous females develop osteoporotic type fractures of the femoral neck at a later age than do non-indigenous females. This may reflect a genetic difference in bone mineral density or a healthy lifestyle in earlier days. Further research is suggested.