Hip Replacement Boosts Mobility at Any Age (HealthDay)

FRIDAY, June 27 (HealthDay News) -- Total hip replacements arebeneficial and economical for seniors with osteoarthritis, regardless oftheir age, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

Their study, published in the June issue of the Journal of theAmerican Geriatrics Society, found those who had the surgery weretwice as likely as those who didn't to gain mobility and the ability totake care of one's self.

"We found that total hip arthroplasty improves everyday life forpatients and is as beneficial to people in their 80s or 90s as it is forsomeone in their 60s," Linda George, associate director of the Duke Centerfor the Study of Aging, said in a prepared statement. "While the number ofsurgeries conducted in the U.S. has increased dramatically over the lastdecade, fewer than 25 percent of patients who could benefit from theprocedure elect to receive it."

Also, the surgery saves the health-care system, because the average$4,000 to $6,000 reimbursement for the procedure costs far less than thelong-term expenses of health care for the disabled. Health economistsestimate a $50,000 a year savings associated with a disability-freelife.

The study is based on data from 131 patients who received total hipreplacement compared to data from 257 patients who did not even know theyhad osteoarthritis. The patients were interviewed three times each yearfor four years.

Osteoarthritis of the hip is a progressive type of arthritis thataffects about 10 million Americans. Associated with aging and obesity, itcauses pain, decreased mobility and increased risk of falls and fractures.Hip replacements are performed when medications and physical therapy fail.

As total hip replacement is an invasive treatment with a longrehabilitation period, some physicians don't like to offer the option topatients older than 85, George said, and that is also why some olderpatients are reluctant to choose it when it is presented.

More information

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