Magnitude and determinants of osteoporosis in adult population of South Sharqiya region of Oman

Objective: To estimate the incidence of hip fractures as an indicator for osteoporosis in the 40 years old Omani population of the South Sharqiya region of Oman. We also recommended a policy for addressing osteoporosis in this community. Methods: Orthopedic surgeons noted and treated patients with hip fracture that were due to a fall over 5 years (September 2002 to August 2007) at Sur Hospital, Oman. Their preoperative information, such as bone involved, co-morbidities, history of fractures, and the type of treatment were collected. We used the population of the study area to calculate the annual incidence of fractures. Results: In our study, 147 persons (70 male, and 77 female) of 40 years with hip fractures were included. The age adjusted annual incidence rate of hip fracture in 40 population of South Sharqiya was 0.14%. While operating on 96 (65.3%) patients, we used dynamic hip screw. Hemi-arthroplasty with Austin- Moore prosthesis was performed in 37 (24.5%) patients. Eighteen (12.2%) patients had previous bone fractures. Conclusions: The incidence of hip fracture was high. Osteoporosis screening programs and adequate interventions could detect the high-risk group and prevent such fractures in the future.