But the new Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia study is the first to identify how long the risk lasts for different fractures.

Non-hip fractures contribute to more than two-thirds of all fragility fractures and can include fractures of the femur, pelvis, clavicle or lower leg.

Professor Jacqueline Center, study author, said: ‘A fracture is the starting point for much wider health issues that persist long after the fracture has healed and can ultimately result in earlier death.

‘We tracked the increased risk of death for fractures in different bones and found that they vary.

‘The heightened risk can last for over a decade after a hip fracture, and for most other fractures – apart from distal or minor fractures, the increased risk is for about five years.’

This study included all people in Denmark over the age of 50 who first experienced fragility fractures in 2001 and were followed for up to 10 years for their mortality risk.

In the year after breaking a hip, men faced a 33 per cent higher risk of death and women had a 20 per cent higher risk, according to the findings published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

For femur or pelvic fractures, the one-year excess mortality was between 20 per cent and 25 per cent.

A ‘significant’ risk of death was still observed 10 years after a person broke a hip, and around five years following non-hip fractures.

Professor Center added: ‘Our findings emphasise just how crucial early intervention is.

‘We need to understand the risk of breaking a bone before the fracture happens and treat that individual accordingly.

‘While intervention after the first fracture is critical, we also need to diagnose those at risk of breaking bones before these major health impacts have occurred.’

DailyMail