To analyze and compare the clinical characteristics including bone mineral density (BMD) in a group who had operation of hip fracture with or without prior osteoporotic spinal compression fractures.

Two hundred forty patients who had undergone operation of hip fractures were evaluated, 127 patients who had with prior osteoporotic spinal compression fractures were in group I, and 113 patients without prior spinal fractures were in group II. In each group, we measured age, gender, body mass index (BMI, kg/m²), BMD (mg/cm³), type of hip fractures, concomitant diseases, presence of secondary hip fracture and history of percutaneous vertebroplasty.

The mean age of group I was 79.4 years (male/female: 28/99) and that of group II was 77.6 years (male/female: 37/76). The mean BMI of group I was 21.3 kg/m² and that in group II was 22.0 kg/m². The mean BMD and T-score of group I were 41.1 mg/cm³ and -4.45 and those in group II were 51.0 mg/cm³ and -4.17 ( P <0.05). The numbers of patients of neck and intertrochanter fracture of group I were 31 and 96 patients and those in group II were 61 and 52 patients. Sixty in group I and 45 in group II patients had concomitant diseases. Thirteen patients had undergone percutaneous vertebroplasty and 18 patients (7.5%) had second hip fractures.

The hip fracture patients who had with prior osteoporotic spinal compression fractures had lower BMD compared to the hip fracture patients without previous spinal compression fractures.