[Fractures following accidental falls among the elderly in the county of Aarhus]

The incidence rates of common fall-related fractures were investigated in a Danish population of elderly people (> 64 years). One thousand one hundred and eighty fractures in 1016 patients were observed. About 26/1000 suffered a fracture per year, 47% being hip fractures, and 33% fractures of the wrist. Incidence rates increased with age, most markedly for fractures in the weight-bearing skeleton (hip, pelvis and vertebral column). Patients with a fall-related fracture had a four times higher risk of getting a new fracture. Increased mortality, adjusted for age and sex, ranged from 10 to 30 percent in the first year; except for fractures of the wrist, which were not associated with increased mortality.