Citation

de Castro V, Mokoroa O, Artieda J, Muniozguren N, Etxebarriarteun L, Alvarez L, Garcia Calabuig MA. Rev. Esp. Geriatr. Gerontol. 2015; 50(6): 281-284.

Vernacular Title

Epidemiología de los accidentes en una cohorte de adultos mayores de 64 años de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco.

Affiliation

Epidemiología e Información Sanitaria, Dirección de Salud Pública y Adicciones de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco, Departamento de Salud del Gobierno Vasco.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.regg.2014.11.009

PMID

25721313

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Accidents represent a significant health problem for elderly people. The objective of this study was to assess the incidence of accidents in over-64-year-olds in the Basque Country population, and to describe the clinical-epidemiological features leading to them. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of 15,192 non-institutionalised individuals over 64 years of age, conducted under the auspices of the Basque Sentinel Practice Network (Red Vigía) over one year. A questionnaire was completed for each accident. The rates and risks of accidents were calculated by sex and age group of the individuals who had the accidents.

RESULTS: The rates of accidents were 46.52 and 81.87 per 1000 men and women, respectively. The most common type of accident was a fall (92%), and the most severe injuries were fractures (17%), with the risk of an accident being significantly higher in women and in the over-75-year-olds.

CONCLUSIONS: These data reflect the scale of accidents in over-64-year-olds in the Basque Country. The most frequent accident was the fall, which represents a dramatic event among the elderly, being one of the main causes of injury, disability and institutionalisation among this population group.

Language: es