ArticleBMC geriatrics2025
Exposure to high altitude is associated with an elevated risk of hip fracture: a retrospective cohort study using data from the CHARLS.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Application value of FRAX in high-altitude areas in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Pooled it
- High-Altitude Residence, Blood Biomarkers, and Chronic Disease Risk in Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Residential altitude was not independently associated with osteoporosis among long-term Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau residents.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
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8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPrevious investigations have suggested that high-altitude residency may increase the risk of bone loss; however, evidence on the impact of high-altitude exposure on the risk of hip fracture is lacking. Notably, hip fractures are the most serious complication of osteoporosis.
methodsWe designed and conducted a retrospective cohort analysis using the China Health and Longitudinal Study data from 2011 to 2018. Participants were divided into two groups based on the altitude of their residence, with a threshold of 1500 m. Propensity score matching was used to balance covariates, including socioeconomic indicators and medical histories. Univariate Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the effect size of high-altitude exposure on the risk of hip fractures. To perform subgroup analysis, the participants were stratified based on sex, body mass index, smoking, and drinking.
resultsAfter matching, 399 participants in the high-altitude group and 3192 in the low-altitude group were enrolled. Cox regression showed that exposure to high altitude increased the risk of hip fracture (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06–2.57, p = 0.03). Subgroup analysis showed that women (HR: 1.996, 95% CI: 1.142–3.491, p = 0.025) and participants with overweight (HR: 2.703, 95% CI: 1.186–6.165, p = 0.034) were vulnerable to the impact of high-altitude exposure compared with men and participants with normal weight.
conclusionExposure to high altitudes increases the risk of hip fractures, and prevention interventions should receive greater attention in these districts.
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