Characteristics of patients with hip fractures and comorbid fall‐related injuries in the emergency department
Abstract
INTRODUCTIONHip fracture is one of the most common fall‐related injuries with the estimated annual incidence of 1.31 million, and the prevalence of consequent disability was 4.48 million in the world.1 Hip fracture is common in the elderly population, which is expected to increase to 1.4 billion in 2030 and to 2.1 billion by 2050.2 As a result, the annual incidence of hip fracture is estimated to increase to 4.5 million by 2050.3 Therefore, fall‐related hip fractures is an important issue worldwide.Hip fracture is not only frequent in the elderly, but also in female, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, cognitive decline, and institutionalized patients.4,5 These conditions are also risk factors for other injuries and fractures,6 suggesting that patients who visit the emergency department (ED) for fall‐related hip fractures may also have other fall‐related injuries.7 It was reported that the comorbid head injury with hip fracture was associated with a significantly higher mortality rate than hip fracture alone.8 Therefore, it is important to know other injuries accompanying a hip fracture.To find such comorbid injuries, whole‐body survey is important. It is often difficult to obtain medical histories because elderly patients with impaired cognitive status cannot complain of their symptoms and injury mechanisms clearly.9 Furthermore, apparent hip fracture