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In recent decades an increase in the number of fractures of the proximal femur was recorded in this country and world-wide. The majority of patients with this diagnosis is above 70 years of age and their treatment comprises in addition to the medical aspect also economic and social problems. The objective of the present work is to summarize briefly the results achieved during the five-year trial focused on socio-economic problems of treatment of patients with fractures of the proximal femur. The investigated group comprised 244 patients hospitalized at the Orthopaedic Department of the Third Faculty of Medicine Charles University in 1997 with 248 fractures of the proximal femur. Thirty-nine fractures were treated conservatively, 116 by internal fixation and in 93 cases an arthroplasty was implanted. In the course of the first year of treatment 85 patients died. The therapeutic results after one year were evaluated in 159 patients. The total annual costs of the investigated group were 15.9 million crowns. The mean annual costs of treatment of one fracture of the proximal femur was 64,000 crowns. The ratio of deaths rose with age (p = 0.003), it did not depend on the social background of the patient (p = 0.16) and the quality of locomotor activity before the injury (p = 0.16). No type of fracture was associated with a higher or lower mortality (p = 0.09). A statistically significant higher mortality was recorded in patients included in the higher class of the ASA score (p < 0.001) and in conservatively treated patients (p < 0.001). The type of anaesthesia did not affect the mortality. The functional results were significantly worse in patients living before the injury in a dependent position (0.01 < p < 0.05) and with restricted physical activity (p < 0.01). The type of fractures did not affect significantly the functional results (p > 0.05). Poorer functional results were recorded in patients with ischaemic heart disease (p < 0.001) and neurological disease in their history (p < 0.001). Also inclusion into a higher class of surgical risk according to the ASA score was associated with poorer functional results (p < 0.001). Different types of anaesthesia and different methods of surgical treatment did not affect the quality of functional results. However the functional results were better in operated patients as compared with conservatively treated patients (p < 0.001).