The mortality numbers nobody tells you at discharge
A hip fracture kills more older adults than most cancers that get far more attention. A 2021 analysis published in the journal Osteoporosis International found that one in four patients over 70 dies within twelve months of a hip fracture. Among men over 80, that figure climbs closer to one in three. The fracture itself is rarely the direct cause. What follows it is: bed rest triggers blood clots, immobility invites pneumonia, and the sudden loss of independence accelerates cognitive decline at a speed that surprises even experienced clinicians.
