Parathyroid Hormone in the recovery from hip fractures - a pilot study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  The administration of Parathyroid hormone affects functional recovery from pertrochanteric fractured neck of femur: A prospective randomised comparative pilot study with blinded objective functional outcome assessment.

• IRAS ID

  1128

• Contact name

  Timothy Chesser

• Sponsor organisation

  North Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

• Eudract number

  2010-020081-22

• ISRCTN Number

  Unknown

• Research summary

  The use of parathyroid hormone to treat severe osteoporosis has been well established and is licensed for use in the UK. Scientific studies have demonstrated it to have beneficial effects both on increasing bone mass but also on the healing of broken bones. This can potentially benefit the increasing numbers of elderly patients suffering from broken bones due to falls. We plan to ask 40 older adults who have broken their hip if they are happy to be randomly selected to one of two groups. One group will have the normal care for a broken hip but we will follow their progress closely, recording the outcomes of their investigations into osteoporosis, measuring their return to walking, independence and any further problems for the following year. The other group will have injections of parathyroid hormone daily for the first six weeks after their operation. We will record and measure all the same outcomes as the other group. After the six weeks normal care will continue. This pilot study will clarify the number of potential patients available and willing to be recruited to this study design. This injection therapy is currently used by elderly patients as a treatment for osteoporosis; however it is unclear whether these people will cope with a daily injection, using a specialised pen, after a broken hip. This pilot study will clarify the feasibility of the treatment proposed. A selection of patients from both groups will be invited to discuss their experiences and what they feel important for their outcome after their fracture, in greater depth. This study will help us design a future multi-centre project, to find out if parathyroid hormone injections improve recovery after a broken hip.

• REC name

  South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  10/H0206/34

• Date of REC Opinion

  3 Nov 2010

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion