[Epidemiology of accidental falls in the elderly]

There is a lack of epidemiological data on falls and fall-related injuries for the aged population in Germany. The purpose of the article is to present the available data focusing on the incidence of the fracture types that carry the highest risk for mortality, hospitalization and persisting disabilities.

The paper reports on a 10% representative sample that was drawn by the Federal Bureau of Statistics. A medline search for 1980-1998 was performed to identify relevant articles. The OECD database was used for mortality rates after injurious falls. If no sufficient data were published for Germany, incidence rates of demographic comparable European regions are reported.

The number of fractures of the lower extremity (ICD 820-829) followed by hospitalization was 139,000 in 1996 for elderly (65+ years). Fractures of the upper extremities (ICD 810-819) requiring hospitalisation were reported for 65,000 persons aged 65+ years and head trauma (ICD 850-851) followed by hospitalization in this age group for 29,000 persons. There remains an information gap on the incidence of falls and fall-related sequelae without hospitalization in Germany.

Facing, the demographic transgression the prevention of falls and fall-related injuries gains a high priority. Operative management and rehabilitation procedures for elderly trauma patients should be further evaluated and improved.