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Incidence of Fall Related Hip Fractures among the Elderly Persons in Owerri, Nigeria
並列摘要
The study aims at investigating the incidence of fall related hip fractures among the elderly populations of Owerri, Nigeria and circumstances surrounding it. Falls are a major public health problem among the elderly persons in most communities. One of these problems is hip fractures. Hip fractures among elderly persons vary from place to place and also within places. In Africa hip fracture incidence is very low and osteoporosis is assumed uncommon. Data were collected from three (3) hospitals that offer orthopaedic services in Owerri, Nigeria for patients greater than 50 years who sustained hip fractures from falls between 2002 and 2008. Hip fracture types were limited to cervical and trochanteric fractures. 105 cases for all age group, gender, fracture mechanism and fracture type were uncovered. 40% (n=42), hip fractures occurred due to falls. 90% (n=38) of the later were falls among the elderly patients. Incidence was about 1.7 times higher in the women than in the men (RR: 1.74; 95% CI: 0.88 to 3.44; p=0.056). Fracture from low energy falls (FFSH) was higher in females (84%) than in the males (67%); while fracture proportion from high energy falls (FFH) was higher in males (33%) than in females (16%) (Chi square, p＜0.001). Furthermore, proportion of elderly females that sustained hip fractures indoor were more than that of the elderly males by a difference of 44% (Risk Difference: 44%; 95% CI: 13% to 75%; p=0.0091) while more elderly males sustained hip fractures outdoor than elderly females by the same proportional difference. Of the fractures sustained indoors, 54% occurred in those that are married and living with their spouse. While 46% occurred in those that are single, divorced or widowed and hence not living with their spouse. The corresponding proportion for fractures outdoors were 71% and 29% (Chi Square, p＜0.001). Though an increase was shown from the earlier study by Adebajo for Ibadan Nigeria, incidence is still low. This could be due to the low life expectancy and absence of most extrinsic factors that cause high incidence in Europe and America.