[Translated article] Pilot study to determine the association between gut microbiota and fragility hip fracture

• Published in: Revista española de cirugía ortopédica y traumatología 2023-07, Vol.67 (4), p.T279-T289
• Main Authors: Roselló-Añón, A., Chiappe, C., Valverde-Vázquez, M.R., Sangüesa-Nebot, M.J., Gómez-Cabrera, M.C., Pérez-Martínez, G., Doménech-Fernández, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Factor de riesgo; Fractura de cadera; Gut microbiota; Hip fracture; Microbiota intestinal; Osteoporosis; Risk factor
• ISSN: 1888-4415; 1988-8856
• DOI: 10.1016/j.recot.2023.03.002

Hip fractures are the most common cause of hospital admission to orthopaedic departments in Europe and they generate a major health problem. Therefore, it is of great interest to identify additional risk factors that will help us to better understand the pathophysiology of these fractures and improve our preventive capacity. There is sufficient data to support the theory of modulation of bone mass by gut microbiota (osteomicrobiology); however, there is a lack of human clinical studies directly linking microbiota to hip fracture risk. Observational, analytical, case–control study. The sample consisted of 50 patients and it was distributed as follows: 25 elderly patients with fragility hip fracture and 25 subjects without fracture. The intestinal microbiota was determined by DNA extraction from stool samples and 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing after generation of gene libraries. Alpha diversity revealed an elevation of the estimators for the taxonomic class level in the hip fracture group. The orders Bacteroidales, Oscillospirales, Lachnospirales, Peptostreptococcales-Tissierellales and Enterobacterales were the dominant orders in both groups. In patients with fracture, a significant percentage increase in the orders Bacteroidales (p