Science / Medicine : Smoking, Hip Injuries Linked

Compared to heavy-set women who have never smoked, thin women smokers increase their risk of hip fracture nearly five times, researchers reported last week at the 12th scientific meeting of the International Epidemiological Assn. in Los Angeles.

Scientists studied 209 women age 29 to 74 admitted with hip fractures to hospitals in Milan, Italy, and 1,449 women age 25 to 74 admitted for non-traumatic conditions to the same hospitals. The researchers compared the body mass and smoking history of women with hip fractures to the control group, all of whom reported never having smoked.

Both current and ex-smokers were twice as likely as nonsmokers to suffer from hip fractures, said Dr. Favio Levi of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine in Switzerland.