Fractures of the femoral neck in the 'young' elderly.

Eighty-six patients, aged under 60 years, who had sustained fractures of the femoral neck, were studied, as well as the circumstances of injury and the long term medication they may have had. They were divided into two groups: 'injured' (38), with an average age of 41 years, and the 'uninjured' (48), with an average age of 55 years. Unlike other series, the male to female ratio was equal. Trochanteric fractures were more common in men involved in high speed accidents and the prognosis was excellent, but subcapital fractures were most frequent in patients with concurrent illness and 77 per cent were taking drugs which could affect bone density. The prognosis in these relatively young patients with subcapital fractures was no different from that in much older patients: 28.5 per cent developed avascular necrosis and 21.4 per cent required prosthetic replacement.