Consequences of Falls

more common in women

 

Nearly 80% of fatal injuries related to falls include traumatic brain injuries, injuries to spine, legs and feet, and hips. Other fall-related fatalities may result from damage to internal organs.

Hip fractures are the most common fracture associated with falls, especially in women, and significantly more common (10-15 times more common) in people over 85 years of age. A hip fracture is defined as a break in the neck of the femur. The femoral neck is the area of the femur that is at the top of the long bone between the head of the femur and the shaft. The x-ray on this page illustrates just such a break.

Nearly all (95%) hip fractures in older adults are related to falls. Less than half of the adults who suffer hip fractures regain their previous level of function and mobility. About a fourth of previously independent-living older adults who experience a hip fracture spend at least a year in a long-term care facility. This fall-related injury can lead to premature death in about 20% of patients within a year.

Fatal injuries are more common in men than in women. However, fracture rates related to falls are twice as high in women than in men. The risk for injury increases significantly with age. Over the age of 85, injury is 4-5 times more likely. Over the age of 75, a patient who falls is 4-5 times more likely to be admitted for a year or more to a long-term care facility.

Costs are another factor to consider. Direct medical costs in 2000 were nearly $19 billion for non-fatal falls and nearly $180 million for fatal fall injuries. It is estimated that by 2020 the direct and indirect costs associated with fall injuries will be approximately between $32-44 billion.

Just as outcomes vary according to age and gender, so do costs. Costs tend to increase with age and are generally higher for women than men. About 20% of the costs were associated with emergency room treatment. Non-fatal injuries related to falls were most expensive with fractures generating 61% of those costs. Fatal fall costs were mostly related to injuries to the hips, legs, and feet, while internal organ injuries accounted for nearly 30% of the costs of fatal fall injuries. Nearly 45% of the costs associated with hip fractures were for hospitalization.