Increased levels of uric acid may signal a higher risk of hip fracture, particularly in men, according to a large population-based cohort study.

The findings could mean that serum uric acid might have potential role as a biomarker for predicting those at risk of hip fracture, the Austrian researchers say.

They examined data obtained during a free voluntary health monitoring and promotion program conducted in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg between 1985 and 2005 — a program involving about 185,000 people, comprising nearly two-thirds of the population.

The team followed more than 42,000 women and nearly 36,000 men aged 50 years or more for the occurrence of hip fractures between 2003 and 2013. Follow-up for women lasted a median of 18.9 years and for men, 17.5 years.