NOREPOS: Decoding Hip Fracture Trends Across Norway We spoke to Professor Haakon E. Meyer about NOREPOS, a collaborative research network that delves into understanding and alleviating the burden of osteoporosisrelated hip fractures in Norway. Their research focuses on understanding declines in hip fractures, immune-bone connection, weather impacts, and predictive models. NOREPOS (Norwegian Epidemiologic Osteoporosis Studies) is a collaborative network of researchers from five scientific institutions in Norway. Their main goal is to conduct epidemiological research with a focus on osteoporosis and its consequences. The NOREPOS collaboration began in 1997. The collaboration includes researchers from the University of Bergen (UiB), UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the University of Oslo (UiO), and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Norway has one of the highest incidences of hip fractures in the world. In Norway, every hour witnesses two forearm fractures and one new hip fracture. These fractures are not just painful. Hip fractures cause increased morbidity and all-cause mortality, reduce function, and increase the risk of death. Hip fractures do not only affect individuals but they cause a significant economic burden on society. In Norway, they’re among the costliest diagnoses. Despite declining hip fracture risk over the past decades, due to the increasing elderly population, a rise in www.euresearcher.com
fractures is expected. NOREPOS aims to understand why Norway has the world’s highest hip fracture rates and how these rates vary across groups in the population. This knowledge is crucial for planning healthcare and prevention strategies. NOREPOS uses data from large populationbased epidemiologic studies conducted in Norway. These studies include data on health status such as height, weight, hip/ waist circumferences, heart rate, and blood pressure; health behaviors, sociodemographic factors, general health, and disease. They also collect data from fracture registers, examining hip and forearm fractures. The NORHip database contains data on almost 240,000 hip fractures treated in Norwegian hospitals from 1994 up to date, linked to other databases for comprehensive analysis and validated against local hip fracture registries.
Novel Aspects of an Old Problem The recently completed research project (2018-2023), funded by the Research Council of Norway, used the NORHip database in combination with health studies and registries cover the entire population. The project had
three main objectives: firstly, uncovering the factors that have contributed to the decline in hip fracture incidence in the past two decades. Secondly, exploring the link between the immune system and bone metabolism, and how the immune system might affect bone health and fracture risk. Thirdly, by studying weather, climate, air pollution, and demographics, the project aimed to figure out why fracture risks differ across regions.
Hip-IMPACT Model In Norway, the annual number of hip fractures treated in hospitals is comparable to the annual number of patients treated for myocardial infarction. However, despite observed declines in age-adjusted hip fracture rates in Europe and North America, the increasing life expectancy and growth of the population aged over 60 predict a potential rise in fracture numbers that surpasses the decline in age-specific incidence. In a previous study, the researchers demonstrated a 27% decrease in age-adjusted hip fracture rates in Norway between 1999-2019. Understanding the forces behind these trends is vital to reducing the future burden of hip fractures on
13