Secular tendencies of the incidence of fracture of the upper end of the femur.

On the basis of an epidemiological study of the incidence of fracture of the upper end of the femur, undertaken in the city of Malmö for the period 1951-1960, the expected number of fractures in 1967 and 1968, and in 1974 and 1975, was calculated taking into account the changes in the size and the composition of the population. It was demonstrated that during the first period the previously described increasing trend continued so that more fractures were observed than could be expected from changes in the population only, whereas later on this trend became insignificant. The changes observed after 1968 could be explained by the increasing number of old residents in the city, and there was no obscure secular trend.