The relationship between obesity and fractures.

There has been very limited analysis of the relationship between obesity and fractures in the orthopaedic literature. It has been established for some years that underweight individuals are at greater risk of proximal femoral fractures but recently there has been interest in the susceptibility of obese post-menopausal females to fracture. We have undertaken an analysis of 4886 adult patients who presented with a fracture and had their BMI assessed. Analysis has confirmed the relationship between underweight individuals and proximal femoral fractures but there is also a negative association between obesity and clavicle fractures in males and females and with calcaneal fractures in females. There is a positive relationship between obesity and proximal humeral, finger phalangeal and ankle fractures in males and with humeral diaphyseal, carpal and ankle fractures in females. There was no relationship found between open or multiple fractures and obesity.