Epidemiological Trends of Proximal Femoral Fractures in the Elderly Population in Portugal

Introduction: Proximal femoral fractures are an important public health problem in industrialized societies. There are few studies that evaluate the incidence of this type of fracture in Portugal. The aim of this study was to analyze and interpret epidemiological trends of proximal femoral fractures in the elderly population in Portugal between 2005 and 2013. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study including all patients aged 65 years and older admitted due to proximal femoral fractures in Portuguese hospitals belonging to the National Health Service using data from the national registry of the health system central administration. Results: 101,436 patients were included. There was a progressive increase in the number of hospitalizations per year over the period analyzed. The mean age at admission was 79.32 (+/- 12.33) years presenting a progressive and significant increase over the analyzed period (p < 0.001). 74.5% of the patients were female (p < 0.001). They had a significantly higher average age at admission, both globally and in each study year (p < 0.001). The age-adjusted incidence (<= 65 years) was 597 fractures / year / 100,000 inhabitants. There was an increase in the incidence of proximal femoral fractures from 508.49 (2005) to 628.39 fractures per 100,000 person-years (2013). In the female sex the increase was from 616.78 to 762.88 and in the male sex from 339.95 to 419.06. Discussion: This is the first study to evaluate and interpret the epidemiological trends of proximal femur fractures in patients admitted to the National Health Service in Portugal including only individuals aged 65 years or over. Conclusion: The global number of proximal femoral fractures in Portugal showed a trend of increase between 2005 - 2013, affecting a significant percentage of the Portuguese population over 65 years of age, especially in females and progressively older individuals.