title: The epidemiology of proximal humeral fractures.
abstract: We present a 5-year prospective study of the epidemiology of 1,027 proximal humeral fractures. These fractures, which tend to occur in fit elderly persons, have a unipolar age distribution and the highest age-specific incidence occurs in women between 80 and 89 years of age. The commonest was the B1.1 impacted valgus fracture, found in one-fifth of the cases in this series, a type that is not included in the Neer classification. We used both Neer and AO classifications. The AO classification proved to be more comprehensive because in the Neer classification, half of the fractures are minimally displaced and almost nine-tenths fall into only three categories. In the AO classification, the B1.1, A2.2, A3.2 and A1.2 sub-groups comprise over half of all proximal humeral fractures, while the AO type C fractures occur in only 6%. We suggest that the literature does not adequately reflect the spectrum of proximal humeral fractures.
authors.affiliation: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust, UK.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Court-Brown
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: McQueen
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011859:Radiography; D012307:Risk Factors; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012784:Shoulder Fractures / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology