Comparing rates of skull fractures in female versus male geriatric patients who sustain head injuries

Abstract

Background: Head trauma is the leading cause of serious injury in the older adult population with skull fractures as a serious reported outcome. This study aims to evaluate the role of sex in the risk of skull fracture in patients over the age of 65. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at two level-one trauma centers, serving a population of 360,000 geriatric residents. Over a year-long period, consecutive patients aged 65 years and older who presented with blunt head injury were included. Patients who did not receive head CT imaging were excluded. The primary outcome was rate of skull fracture due to the acute trauma, compared by sex. Additional factors examined included patient race/ethnicity and mechanism of injury. Results: Among 5402 patients enrolled, 3010 (56%) were female and 2392 (44%) were male. 4612 (85%) of the head injuries sustained were due to falls, and 4536 (90%) of all subjects were Caucasian. Overall, 199 patients (3.7%) sustained skull fractures. Males had a significantly greater rate of skull fracture when compared to females (4.6% vs 3.0%, OR 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2–2.1, p = 0.002). This trend was also seen across race/ethnicity and mechanism of injury. Conclusions: Older males were found to have a higher rate of skull fractures compared to females after sustaining blunt head trauma, mostly due to falls.