Postmortem Analysis of Fall Victims According to Age Groups: A Comparative Study.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Forensic Medicine

Background:

• Falls are a major cause of mortality, with population aging necessitating a comprehensive analysis of contributing factors.
• Understanding the specific risks associated with different age groups is crucial for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare fatal unintentional fall victims across distinct age groups: adults, young old, old, and oldest old.
• To analyze sociodemographic data, fall characteristics, and trauma severity in relation to age.
• To identify age-specific patterns in fall-related fatalities.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, comparative study utilizing autopsy reports from Sao Paulo, Brazil (2015).
• Analysis of 469 fatalities categorized into adults (18-59), young old (60-69), old (70-79), and oldest old (≥80 years).
• Statistical analysis included Pearson's chi-squared, Fisher's exact, Kruskal-Wallis, and Dunn tests (p ≤ .05).

Main Results:

• The oldest old (≥80 years) constituted the largest group (43.5%) of fatalities.
• Ground-level falls (70.1%), femoral fractures (35.0%), and delayed deaths (79.6%) due to complications were prevalent.
• Significant differences were observed across all analyzed variables between age groups, particularly between the youngest and oldest.

Conclusions:

• Older adults, especially those over 70, experience high rates of femoral fractures and delayed deaths from fall complications.
• Existing fall prevention strategies require enhancement for the elderly population.
• A dedicated care pathway for older adults affected by falls is essential to mitigate mortality and morbidity.