Falls in elderly people that result in facial injuries

Falls in elderly people are increasing. Injuries of the upper limb that result from a fall usually suggest that an outstretched hand was used to curb the fall. Conversely, maxillofacial injuries in elderly people may result from alterations in consciousness as a result of a pre-existing medical condition. We investigated the nature of falls in an elderly population and compared two cohorts of patients—those presenting with maxillofacial injuries, and those with isolated upper limb injuries, and there were 25 patients in each cohort. Comprehensive personal data and medical history were recorded together with details of the fall. We found a significant correlation between the nature of the injury and recollection of the event (P<0.01). Patients who sustain facial injuries are less likely to recall the event. This may be the result of the injury itself, but an underlying medical condition may have been responsible for the fall and should be excluded.