BACKGROUND: Risk factors for injurious falls among elderly @entity1 differ from those for falls in general. The characteristics of falls play an important role in determining the risk of @entity173 . OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors associated with the fall characteristics known to be associated with the majority of @entity173 , e.g., a lateral fall and a subsequent impact on the greater trochanter. METHODS: In this 6 month prospective observational case-control study, 101 individuals aged 65 years and over hospitalized following a @entity173 were interviewed 7-14 days after the accident. Data were also obtained from medical records, focusing on known predisposing and situational risk factors for the fall. We compared the risk factors between two groups: @entity1 who suffered a lateral fall and subsequent impact on the greater trochanter of the femur, and @entity1 who suffered other types of falls. RESULTS: Only 51.5% of the @entity173 @entity1 reported that they had fallen directly to the side. Apart from age, there were no significant differences between the groups in other factors studied. When considering both fall direction and the area that took the main impact, we found that the majority of @entity1 (85%) reported having fallen onto the posterolateral aspect and/or a fall with an impact on the greater trochanter. CONCLUSION: Our findings did not show differences (except for age) in the factors studied between the groups. This study suggests that both fall direction and the area that takes the main impact should be considered in the characteristics of falls that might cause a @entity173 . Characteristics associated with greatest fracture risk include a fall onto the posterolateral aspect and/or a fall with an impact on the greater trochanter. More studies are needed to evaluate potential risk factors associated with this @entity130 .

Risk factors and characteristics of falls resulting in XXXX in the elderly.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'people'] @entity173 :: ('MESH:D006620', 'Disease') :: ['hip fractures', 'hip fracture'] @entity130 :: ('MESH:D014947', 'Disease') :: ['type of injury']
@entity173 :: (MESH:D006620,Disease) :: ['hip fracture']
