Association between weather and hip fracture in adults: a nationwide study in China 198 cities

Summary Hip fractures represent a significant public health issue due to high incidence in aging society. Our study further proved that increased risk for hip fractures in adults is associated with weather conditions. Purpose Hip fractures represent a significant public health issue due to high incidence in aging society. Evidence of the short-term effects of weather on the risk of hip fracture is limited and inconsistent. We aimed to examine the associations between weather conditions and daily hospital admissions for hip fracture in adults in China. Methods A national time-series analysis between 2014 and 2017 was conducted. Data on daily hospital admissions for hip fracture were obtained from the database of Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) and Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI). Weather conditions were acquired from the China Meteorological Data Sharing Service Center. Based on a time-stratified case-crossover design, conditional Poisson regression was used to estimate the impact on relative risk (RR) of weather conditions on hospital admissions for hip fracture. Results During the study period, a total of 137,504 hospital admissions for hip fractures were identified. All analyzed weather conditions showed consistent significant associations at lag 0 day for each 10 mm increase in precipitation, 10 m/s in wind speed, and 10°C in temperature, with the RR value being 1.079 (95% CI, 1.074–1.083) for precipitation, 1.404 (95% CI, 1.346–1.465) for wind speed, and 1.558 (95% CI, 1.546–1.570) for temperature. Women were more vulnerable to be affected by precipitation and temperature. Conclusion In conclusion, increased risk for hip fractures in adults is associated with weather conditions. The improved understanding of the relationship between weather conditions and hip fractures hospital admission can be useful for resource allocation and provider preparedness.