Incidence of Proximal Femur Fractures in Relation to Seasons of the Year and Weather

Abstract

PURPOSE OF THE STUDYThe opinion that proximal femur fractures occur mainly in the winterseason and are related to slippery surfaces prevails in both the lay andmedical communities. The elucidation of this relationship would lead toa better understanding of the aetiology of these fractures and may helpto prevent them in the elderly population.MATERIAL AND METHODSIn a retrospective study conducted at two departments, the occurrence ofproximal femur fractures in patients 60+ years old in relation toweather conditions (air temperature and its humidity, atmosphericpressure, rain and mist) between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2005was investigated. Patients with high-energy or pathological fractureswere excluded. The results were evaluated by Statistika software.RESULTSA total of 1720 patients were studied, of whom 1313 were women and 407were men. The numbers of fractures did not differ significantly amongeither the seasons or months of the year. No correlation was foundbetween the number of fractures and each of the weather characteristics(air temperature and its humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed andvisibility).DISCUSSIONIt is widely believed that hip fractures are connected with wintermonths and temperatures below zero. This is supported by several factsrelated to winter characteristics, such as slippery icy pavements,clumsiness due to warm bulky clothes, bodies affected by cold and thuspredisposed to a fall and poorer visibility on shorter winter days.The effect of seasonal variation on hip fracture incidence has beeninvestigated in 10 studies of which only one has taken the influence ofdaily temperature into consideration. All studies were conduced in thecountries north of 40 degrees latitude, i.e., in climatic conditionssimilar to our country, with temperatures falling below zero andice-glazed pavements in winter months. Of them, six have found norelation between proximal femur fractures and weather conditions, twohave reported an increased incidence of these fractures in winter monthsand two in summer months.CONCLUSIONSOur study did not show any significant relationship between theincidence of proximal femur fractures and weather characteristics.Seasons of the year had no effect on the number of hip fractures or thelength of hospital stay due to their treatment.