Calcium intake in elderly patients with hip fractures

Abstract

Background: Dietary calcium intake is assumed important in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. However, people in countries with a high calcium intake from commodities such as milk and milk products have a high incidence of hip fracture. The effect and influence of calcium intake in the prevention of osteoporotic fracture vary from different studies. Objective: To investigate premorbid daily calcium intake in patients with low energy hip fractures during four consecutive years. Design: In total 120 patients (mean age 7898.5 (SD) years) were included between 2002 and 2005. The patients answered a structured food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and interviews on patients' daily calcium intake from food and supplements took place during a 6-month period before the fracture. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was performed in a subgroup of 15 patients. Results: The mean daily calcium intake from food and supplementation was 9709500 mg. However, 38% of patients had an intake below the recommended 800 mg/day. There was no significant relationship between calcium intake and age, gender, bone mineral density, serum calcium or albumin, type of fracture or body mass index. The mean free plasma calcium concentration was 2.390.1, i.e. within the reference limit. In 2005, 80% of the patients who underwent DEXA had manifest osteoporosis. There was a trend towards decreased calcium intake over the observation period, with a mean calcium intake below 800 mg/day in 2005. Conclusion: Hip fracture patients had a mean calcium intake above the recommended daily intake, as assessed by a FFQ. However, more than one-third of patients had an intake below the recommended 800 mg/day. The intake appeared to decrease over the investigated years. The relationship between calcium intake and fracture susceptibility is complex.

Study of Drug Utilization Pattern of Calcium, Vitamin D Supplements, and Anti-Osteoporosis Drugs in Patients With Osteoporotic Fracture: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

“…Majority of the patients in our study showed a predominance of femur fractures as compared to other fractures. These findings were similar to the previous studies carried out on calcium intake in elderly patients with osteoporotic fractures which showed higher incidence of femur fractures [13,14].…”

Invited review: Dairy intake and bone health: A viewpoint from the state of the art

“…Evaluation of calcium intake in a group of elderly patients with hip fractures showed that their mean calcium intake was above the recommended daily intake of 800 mg/d (Cho et al, 2008). However, more than onethird of these patients had a lower intake.…”

Suplementação Nutricional de Cálcio e Vitamina D para a Saúde Óssea e Prevenção de Fraturas Osteoporóticas

“…qual o leite, o iogurte e o queijo compunham 686mg (71%); e uma suplementação média de Ca referente à 284mg (29%); ao longo de quatro anos, pesquisadores observaram uma tendência à ingestão de Ca diminuída gradualmente, através dos alimentos, em 27% dos pacientes; e de suplementos em 63% dos pacientes. Nesses casos, a média de ingestão de Ca se apresentou bem acima da ingestão diária recomendada, independentemente do sexo 25 . No entanto, vale ressaltar que, mais de um terço dos indivíduos apresentavam consumo abaixo do nível recomendado.…”