Increasing number and incidence of fall-induced severe head injuries in older adults: nationwide statistics in Finland in 1970-1995 and prediction for the future

Abstract

To increase knowledge about recent trends in the number and incidence of various fall-induced injuries among older adults, the authors selected from the National Hospital Discharge Register all patients 60 years of age or older who were admitted to hospitals in Finland for primary treatment of a first fall-induced severe head injury during 1970-1995. Similar patients aged 30-39 years served as a reference group. For the study period, the number and incidence (per 100,000 persons) of fall-induced severe head injuries in Finnish persons 60 years of age or older increased considerably (554 and 85, respectively, in 1970 compared with 1,393 and 144, respectively, in 1995). The age-adjusted incidence of these injuries also increased in women, from 80 in 1970 to 125 in 1995, and in men, from 102 in 1970 to 147 in 1995. In the reference group (patients aged 30-39 years), the absolute numbers and incidences of similar injuries did not show consistent trend changes over time. We conclude that the number of fall-induced severe head injuries in elderly Finnish women and men is increasing at a rate that cannot be explained simply by demographic changes, and therefore vigorous preventive measures should be instituted at once to control the increasing burden of these devastating injuries.