Mortality and cause of death in distal radius fracture patients: A longitudinal follow-up study using a national sample cohort

The various harmful impacts of distal radius fractures (DRFs) may cause adverse effects. Although previous studies have reported the adverse effects of DRFs on mortality, most studies were performed in adults of advanced age and paid little attention to confounding factors of mortality. Furthermore, most of these studies investigated the overall impact of DRFs on mortality without differentiating the specified causes of death. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the risk of mortality in DRF patients according to the cause of death. Data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC) from 2002 to 2013 were collected. A total of 27,295 DRF participants who were 50 years or older were 1:4 matched with control participants for age, sex, income, and region of residence. The causes of death were grouped into 12 classifications. DRFs were not associated with increased overall mortality. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of mortality was 1.04 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.98–1.11, P = .237). The adjusted HR for mortality was not significantly different according to age. The odds ratio of overall mortality was 1.03 (95% CI = 0.97–1.11, P = .329). DRFs were not associated with a significant increase in mortality.