Since january 1st of this year, people over 65 years old had a fall in Europe, sometimes with serious consequences.
Since january 1st of this year, people over 65 years old had a fall in Europe, sometimes with serious consequences.
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Falling can happen at any age, but the seriousness of falls increases with age and the reduction in mobility. It is therefore more frequent for falls to have complications as we get older, all the more so since we become frailer.
Immediate consequences can go from a contusion or haematoma (a.k.a. 'bruise'), to more severe traumatisms (dislocation, fracture).
Sometimes, the only consequence is pain. It must not be overlooked, for it can have an impact on autonomy, but more importantly, we must make certain, if it persists, that it is not the expression of a fracture or fissure which has gone unnoticed.
As skin becomes more brittle and less elastic with age, a fall can lead to cutaneous wounds. However, they seldom require stitches (7% of cases according to a study).
Most falls do not lead to a serious physical traumatism. 6 to 8% of falls only are responsible for fractures, of the upper end of the femur in 1 case out of 3.
For more information:
- In France: each year, fractures of the femur and upper limbs among people over 75 result in 91,000 hospital stays and 4 out of every 5 stays give rise to a surgical intervention.
- Among the traumatic complications of falls, femoral neck fractures are the most frequent. In France, falls among the elderly are responsible for 50,000 fractures of the neck of the femur.
- Traumatisms are responsible for a short-term mortality rate which increases with age and can reach over 10% for people 80 and older.
However, the morbidity of falls can in no way be limited to their mere traumatic consequences.
