Background:Bone fractures generate significant social costs, particularly in highly developed countries. This study was aimed at defining the number of hip fractures in Poland and evaluating absolute risk of fractures of this type within a period of 10 years and to the end of life.
Material/Methods:Figures concerning hip fractures in the Mazowsze Province were provided by the Mazowsze Division of the National Health Fund. Data concerning male and female populations divided into age groups and with specified life expectancy were taken from the Central Bureau of Statistics. The number of hip fractures in Poland was estimated based on data for the Mazowsze Province. Lifetime and 10-year risks of hip fracture were calculated based on a model used by J. A. Kanis et al.
Results:The estimated number of hip fractures in Poland was 27,434 (7970 in men, 19,464 in women). Lifetime risk of a hip fracture among men was 7.6% (40 years) to 1.6% (90 years) and from 13.6% to 2% among women, respectively. Ten-year risk of a hip fracture was maximal at the age of 80 and was 4.9% among men and 9.2% among women.
Conclusions:The study revealed a relatively large number hip fractures in Poland, amounting to approx. 30 thousand fractures per year. The expected increase in life expectancy in Poland, particularly among women, may result in significantly increased numbers of fractures in the nearest future and increased costs of their treatment.

Keywords: Aged, 80 and over, Hip Fractures - epidemiology, Poland - epidemiology, Risk Assessment, Sex Factors