Division of Risk Management, Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden.
J Safety Res. 2013 Jun;45:141-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2012.10.014. Epub 2012 Dec 11.
Fall-related injuries have been a cause of worry during the end of the 20th century with increasing trends among the elderly.
Using data from the Swedish National Patient Register (NPR) based on hospital admissions, this study explores the trends in fall-related fractures between 1998 and 2010.
The data shows a decreasing trend in fall-related fractures in all age- and sex-specific groups apart from men 80 years and above. While hip fracture incidence rates decreased in all age- and sex-specific groups, both central fractures and upper extremity fractures have increased in all age- and sex-specific groups apart from women 65-79 years. Lower extremity fractures have increased in the older age groups and decreased in the younger.
The differences found between the groups of fractures and by age- and sex-specific groups indicate a possible transition where more serious fractures are decreasing while less serious fractures increase among hospitalized cases.
Perhaps due to a focus on hip fracture prevention, this study shows that while the incidence rate of hospitalized hip fractures has decreased, other fall-related hospitalized fractures have increased.
Potentially, this could be indicative of a healthier younger elderly, coupled with a frailer older elderly requiring more comprehensive healthcare also for less serious injuries. Further research is needed to confirm our results.
在 20 世纪末，与老年人相关的跌倒伤害已成为一个令人担忧的问题，且呈上升趋势。
本研究利用基于住院数据的瑞典全国患者登记处（NPR）的数据，探讨了 1998 年至 2010 年期间与跌倒相关的骨折趋势。
数据显示，除了 80 岁及以上的男性外，所有年龄和性别特定组的与跌倒相关的骨折都呈下降趋势。虽然所有年龄和性别特定组的髋部骨折发生率都有所下降，但中心性骨折和上肢骨折在除 65-79 岁女性以外的所有年龄和性别特定组中都有所增加。下肢骨折在年龄较大的组中增加，在年龄较小的组中减少。
各组骨折之间以及按年龄和性别特定组的差异表明，可能存在一种过渡，即更严重的骨折在减少，而住院病例中不太严重的骨折在增加。
也许是由于关注髋部骨折的预防，本研究表明，尽管住院髋部骨折的发生率有所下降，但其他与跌倒相关的住院骨折却有所增加。
这可能表明更健康的年轻老年人，加上更脆弱的老年老年人，除了需要更全面的医疗保健外，还需要治疗不太严重的伤害。需要进一步的研究来证实我们的结果。
