The incidence of fall-related traumatic brain injuries is increasing in this population.

Falls are common health events that contribute to functional decline, disability, injury-related hospitalization, and death worldwide. To assess the rate of fall-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) over time in the Finnish population, researchers conducted a follow-up study of Finnish men and women aged 80 years or older, adding a decade of data to previous 30-year findings from a national database.

In this cohort, the number and age-adjusted incidence of fall-related TBI increased considerably between 1970 and 2011. The total number of older adults with fall-induced TBI increased from 60 women and 25 men in 1970 to 1205 women and 612 men in 2011. The age-adjusted incidences of TBI per 100,000 people increased 289% in women (from 168.2 women in 1970 to 653.6 in 2011) and increased 315% in men (from 174.6 to 724.0).

CITATION(S):

Korhonen N et al. Incidence of fall-related traumatic brain injuries among older Finnish adults between 1970 and 2011. JAMA 2013 May 8; 309:1891.