Osteoporotic fractures of the proximal humerus in elderly Finnish persons: Sharp increase in 1970-1998 and alarming projections for the new millennium

Abstract

We determined the current trends in the number and incidence of osteoporotic fractures of the proximal humerus in Finland by collecting from the National Hospital Discharge Register all patients 60 years of age or more who were admitted to Finnish hospitals in 1970-1998 for primary treatment of such fractures. The fracture was defined osteoporotic if it was caused by a low-energy trauma only, i.e., a fall from standing height or less.The number and incidence (per 10 5 persons) of fractures increased sharply from 208 (number) and 32 (incidence) in 1970 to 1,105 and 110 in 1998. Even after the age-adjustment, the incidence of fractures showed a clear increase: in women from 50 in 1970 to 133 in 1998, and in men from 14 in 1970 to 49 in 1998. If this trend continues, there will be three times more osteoporotic fractures of the proximal humerus in Finland in the year 2030 than there were in 1998.

Similar Outcomes for Nail versus Plate Fixation of Three-part Proximal Humeral Fractures

“…Proximal humeral fractures are the third most common fractures in elderly patients after hip fractures and distal radial fractures [15]. For displaced and unstable proximal humeral fractures, many surgical techniques have been described [5,11,12,18,19,26,27,32], but no single approach is considered the standard of care.…”

Minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis for proximal humeral shaft fractures with the PHILOS through the deltopectoral approach

“…Proximal humeral shaft fractures are commonly seen in upperlimb injuries [1], and their incidence is rising as a result of an ageing society and increasing numbers of traffic accidents [2,3]. Anatomical reduction, stable fixation and early mobilisation are prerequisites for full functional recovery of the involved shoulder following displaced proximal humeral shaft fractures.…”

Mıd_term follow-up evaluation of plate osteosynthesis and hemiartroplasty results in multi-part fractures of teh proximal humerus

“…[3] Toplumun yaş ortalamasının artışı ve osteoporozlu insan sayısındaki artış, proksimal humerus kırıklarının görülme sıklığını da artırmıştır. [4] Proksimal humerus kırıklı hastaların yaklaşık %80'inde deplasman hiç yoktur ya da minimaldir ve konservatif tedavi uygulanır, %20 kadarında ise deplasman veya instabilite mevcuttur ve cerrahi tedavi gerekmektedir. [5] Üç ya da dört parçalı kırık-larda, açık redüksiyon-plak osteosentezi ya da hemiartroplasti güncel olarak en sık uygulanan tedavi seçenekleridir fakat en uygun cerrahi yöntem halen tartışılmaktadır.…”