Background

Fall-induced injuries in older adults are a major public health challenge.

Methods

We determined the current trends in the number and age-adjusted incidence of fall-induced severe cervical spine injuries among older adults in Finland by taking into account all spersons 50 years of age or older who were admitted to Finnish hospitals for primary treatment of these injuries between 1970 and 2017. Similar patients aged 20-49 years served as a reference group.

Results

The annual number of fall-induced severe cervical spine injuries among older Finnish adults rose steeply during the follow-up, from 59 in 1970 to 502 in 2017. The age-adjusted incidence of injury (per 100,000 persons) was higher in men than women throughout this period and showed a clear increase from 1970 to 2017: from 8.4 to 25.0 in men, and from 2.8 to 13.9 in women. In both sexes, the increase was most prominent in the oldest age group, persons aged 80 years or older. In the reference group, the injury incidence declined by time.

Conclusions

The number and incidence of fall-induced severe cervical spine injuries among older Finns showed a sharp rise between 1970 and 2017. An increase in the average risk of serious falls may partly explain the phenomenon. Effective fall and injury prevention measures are urgently needed since further aging of the population is likely to aggravate the problem in the near future.

中文翻译：

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1970年至2017年之间，秋季老年人诱发的颈椎损伤急剧上升。

背景

老年人跌倒引起的伤害是主要的公共卫生挑战。

方法

通过考虑芬兰医院接受这些损伤初级治疗的所有50岁以上的人，确定了芬兰老年人跌倒诱发的严重颈椎损伤的数量和年龄调整后的趋势，在1970年至2017年之间。年龄在20-49岁之间的相似患者作为参考组。

结果

随访期间，芬兰老年人因跌倒引起的每年严重颈椎损伤的人数急剧增加，从1970年的59人上升至2017年的502人。按年龄调整的伤害发生率（每100,000人），男性高于女性从1970年到2017年，这一比例明显上升：男性从8.4上升到25.0，女性从2.8上升到13.9。在年龄最大的年龄段，即80岁以上的人群中，性别的增加最为明显。在参考组中，伤害发生率随时间下降。

结论

在1970年至2017年之间，年龄较大的芬兰人因摔倒引起的严重颈椎损伤的数量和发生率急剧上升。严重摔倒的平均风险增加可能在一定程度上解释了这一现象。由于人口的进一步老龄化可能在不久的将来加剧该问题，因此迫切需要采取有效的预防摔倒和伤害的措施。