Grandpa's Broken Hip May Mean Trouble for You

(February 1, 2010) - If your grandfather has had a hip fracture (Read about "Hip Fractures"), you too could be at risk. Researchers have been able to show, for the first time, a link between hip fractures in elderly men and impaired bone health in their grandsons.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, shows that hip fractures in grandfathers are linked to low bone density and reduced bone size in their grandsons. (Read about "Osteoporosis")

"This is the first time this risk factor for low bone mass has been demonstrated across two generations," says associate professor Mattias Lorentzon, who led the research team. "This new risk factor may be significant for the diagnosis of low bone mass and suggests possible mechanisms for the inheritance of low bone mass and fracture risk."

The study looked at around 3,700 grandparents and their grandsons from a national register. 270 of these grandsons had reduced bone density, in other words less bone mineral in their skeleton. (Read about "Skeletal System") All of these also had a grandparent who had broken their hip, as opposed to those who did not have any relatives who had broken a hip and had normal bone health.

"We then divided these men with reduced bone density into two groups," says Lorentzon. "In the first, we looked at those who had a grandmother who had broken a hip. In the second, we looked at whether a grandfather had suffered a hip fracture."

It emerged that the men who had a male relative who had suffered a fracture had up to 5 percent less bone density and 4 percent smaller bones than those who did not. By way of comparison, 10 percent less bone density can increase the risk of fractures (Read about "Bone Fractures") as much as threefold.