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Method and Instrumented Fixture for Femoral Fracture Testing in a Sideways Fall-on-the-Hip Position
Published on: August 17, 2017
Incidence of hip fractures in Germany, 1995-2010
Andrea Icks1, Werner Arend, Clemens Becker
1Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstr. 59, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. andrea.icks@uni-duesseldorf.de
Unlabelled:
We analyzed hip fracture incidence trends in Germany in 1995-2010, using national hospital discharge register. Overall, after age-sex-region adjustment, there was no significant trend. However, stratified analyses showed a significant decrease in younger people. In the elderly, there was a moderate increase in men and decrease in women. Incidences were still higher in Western Germany (each significant).
Background:
Whereas most studies from US and European countries found trends of a decreasing hip fracture incidence in the last years, in Germany, an increase has been still observed up to 2003.
Methods:
Analysis of annual hip fracture incidences in Germany was carried out using the national hospital discharge register and a correction factor of 0.89. Estimate of age-sex-adjusted changes was determined using the Poisson regression (incidence rate ratios, IRR; with 95 % confidence intervals, CI), overall and in age-sex-region strata.
Results:
The number of patients with at least one hospital admission for hip fracture increased (1995: n = 99,146; 2010: n = 128,240). Overall, after adjustment for age, sex, and region, there was no significant trend during the observation period. However, in stratified analyses, a significant decrease was seen in people aged less than 40 years in both sexes and regions. Also, in women aged 60 years or older, the incidence decreased (Western Germany p = 0.001) or remained (Eastern Germany p = 0.053) (IRR 1995-2010, 95 % CI: 0.95, 0.92-0.98; and 1.05, 0.999-1.11). In contrast, the incidence in men 40-59 and 60 years older increased in both regions (West: 1.03, 0.97-1.09; and 1.11, 1.07-1.14; East: 1.12, 1.01-1.25; and 1.29, 1.22-1.36). While incidences were still significantly higher in Western Germany overall and in most strata, they tended to converge.
Conclusions:
In line with most European countries, the overall hip fracture incidence in Germany no longer increases. However, differences between age, sex, and region exist.
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