Emergency department visits due to vertebral fractures in the Netherlands, 1986-2008: Steep increase in the oldest old, strong association with falls

Background: Vertebral fractures are a common consequence of osteoporosis in older persons. With the ageing of the population, numbers are expected to rise. Objective: To determine trends in health care demand due to vertebral fracture related emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations in the older Dutch population. Design and setting: Secular trend analysis of vertebral fracture related ED visits between 1986 and 2008, using the Dutch Injury Surveillance System. All ED visits with a primary diagnosis of a vertebral fracture in persons aged >= 65 years were extracted from this dat... Mehr ...