The increasing burden of pelvic fractures in older people, New South Wales, Australia.
Despite their significant health burden, epidemiological information regarding pelvic fractures is scarce. In this study, we examine trends in admission for pelvic fractures to acute hospitals in New South Wales, Australia, between July 1988 and June 2000, using routinely collected hospital separations statistics. Over this period, the number of admissions for pelvic fractures among those aged 50 years and over increased by 58.4% in men and 110.8% in women. Age-specific rates of admissions per 100,000 population for pelvic fracture also rose significantly, particularly for those aged at least 75 years. The number and proportion of transport related pelvic fractures fell significantly for both men (chi(2)=23.82, d.f.=1, p<0.001) and women (chi(2)=49.26, d.f.=1, p<0.001) while those resulting from falls increased significantly over the 12-year-period. Falls are increasingly becoming the single most important cause of pelvic injuries in older people, suggesting that preventive measures aimed at reducing the risk of falls need to be pursued. Factors contributing to the rise of fall-related pelvic fractures need to be investigated to inform strategies aimed at reversing the observed increase in the number and age-specific rates of pelvic fractures in older people.
Boufous
Soufiane
S
University of New South Wales, NSW Injury Risk Management Research Centre, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. soufiane@unsw.edu.au
Finch
Caroline
C
Lord
Stephen
S
Close
Jacqueline
J
D000058:Accidental Falls; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000208:Acute Disease; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D010384:Pelvic Bones / Q000293:injuries*; D011630:Pubic Bone / Q000293:injuries; D017678:Sex Distribution