Frequency of fall-related injuries of female patients referred to the trauma center in the city of Kashan from years 2005 to 2008.

OBJECTIVE

Falls are one of the life events leading to injury and in serious cases cause high morbidity and mortality. This research was conducted to determine the fall incidence among female population of Kashan city from the years 2005 to 2008.

METHODS

This was a retrospective research using existing data from the data bank of trauma center of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Records of all the female patients treated at local hospitals with complete hospitalisation kept at the center were examined for 4 consecutive years from 2005 to 2008.

RESULTS

A total of 2 094 female patients'records were examined. A significantly higher incidence of injuy occurred in 2008 compared to 2005 (P less than 0.0001). In addition, the highest frequency of injury occurred in age group above 65 years (31.9%) and in group with elementary education level (42.8%).

CONCLUSION

The results showed that fall incidences occurred in the old age group above 65 years. Fall injuries at this age may cause disability. Therefore, preventive measures should be taken, such as increasing the awareness of the aging population about the seriousness of fall incidence and encouraging the aged individuals to get involved in fitness program to remain physical fit and healthy.