Epidemiology outcomes of proximal humerus fractures in Saudi Arabia | ||||
The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine | ||||
Article 22, Volume 72, Issue 9, July 2018, Page 5278-5283 PDF (350.61 K) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/ejhm.2018.11030 | ||||
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Authors | ||||
Nibras Khaled Aljabri ![]() | ||||
1Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah | ||||
2Najran University, Najran | ||||
3King Khaled University, Abha | ||||
4Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Khubar | ||||
5King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Background: Proximal humerus fractures (PHF) are osteoporotic fractures that affect women over 70 years of age. Like fractures of the femoral neck they have become a public health concern. As the population ages there is an increase in the number of people in poor general condition with an increased risk of falls on fragile bones. The incidence of these fractures has increased by 15% per year. Methods: All patients managed for PHF in Saudi Arabia in the past year were included in this prospective study (prospective cohort study; level 2). Three hundred and twenty-five patients were included with 329 fractures. Results: There was a ratio of two women to one man. At the final follow-up 50 patients had died (15%) and 25 patients were lost to follow-up. The mean age was 70 years old. There were two types of risk factors. The first was fragile bones, and the second was patient specific risk of falls. The severity of the fracture increased with the age of the population. Hospitalization was necessary in 43% of the cases in our study. Surgical management was necessary in 21%. This lack of relationship between the percentage of displaced fractures (58%) and the percentage of surgically treated fractures is a sign of the difficulties of managing this population, which is usually in poor general condition. Conclusion: Proximal humerus fractures (PHF) is frequent and its prevalence is increasing. The ageing population is the cause, resulting in a population that is in poor general condition with an increased risk of falling on increasingly fragile bone. Measures must be taken in this growing population to prevent the risk factors of PHF because management of these fractures may become another source of dependency in the elderly population. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Epidemiology; fracture; Proximal humerus; prevalence; Osteoporosis | ||||
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