Analysis of Hip Fractures in France during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Spring 2020

Abstract

Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a number of unprecedented challenges to the health care system in France, where hip fractures in the elderly population are a major public health concern. Objective: To explore the association of the first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in France with the absolute number of hip fractures among patients 50 years or older. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used data from the French national hospitals database to identify patients 50 years or older who were hospitalized for hip fracture in France from January to July 2019 and January to July 2020. Exposures: The first nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in France from March 16 to May 10, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was the number of hospitalizations for hip fracture from January to July 2020 (study period) compared with the number of hospitalizations for hip fracture during the same period in 2019 (control period). Hospitalization rate ratios (HRRs) comparing the study period with the control period were calculated for 3 intervals (before lockdown [January 1 to March 15], during lockdown [March 16 to May 10], and after lockdown [May 11 to July 31]) and were stratified by gender, age and hospital type. Results: The study included 46393 patients hospitalized for hip fracture during January to July 2019 (34 589 [74.4%] women; mean [SD] age, 82.8 [10.5] years) and 44767 patients hospitalized for hip fracture from January to July 2020 (33 160 [74.1%] women; mean [SD] age, 82.9 [10.5] years). During the lockdown in 2020, 10429 patients (23.30%) were hospitalized for hip fracture compared with 11782 patients (25.40%) during the same period in 2019 (HRR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.86-0.91; P