Investigation of the prevalent fall-related risk factors of fractures in elderly referred to Tehran hospitals

Background: Prevalence of fall-related mortality is rising in the elderly population. Falling is one of the causes of the murderous and non-murderous injuries in the elderly population which can lead to disability, dependence and decline of quality of life. Fractures constitute a major part of the fall-related injuries. The present study is designed to investigate the prevalence of fall-related risk factors of fractures in the Iranian elderly population. Methods: This descriptive study was performed on 240 elderly adults (aged 72.24±8.81 years) referred to Teh-ran hospitals in 2011 with wrist, femoral and proximal humeral fractures, using a questionnaire designed for this purpose. Results: Ninety four (39.2%) cases were males and 146 (60.8%) were females. Slipping was the most prevalent mechanism of falling with the rate of 26.9% followed by falling from height and falling outdoors. Femur was the most frequently injured site (57.5%) while wrist and humerus were the next sites to be injured. Only 7.5% of the cases lived in a safe environment while in 37.2% and 55.2% cases, home environment was partly safe and non-safe, respectively. Conclusion: Fall-related fractures in the studied population is related to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders, low level of physical activity and ignorance of safety principles but, the prevalence of neurologic dis-eases and drug and alcohol abuse, which have been mentioned as relevant risk factors in some studies, was very low in this population.