Did the covid-19 pandemic change hip fracture incidence in elderly?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of the national lockdown on femoral neck fractures occurred in the elderly in an Italian city with more than 650 thousand people. We analyzed data related to patients over 65 years-old with femoral neck fractures admitted between March 9th and April 24th, 2020 to five public Hospitals in Palermo and four private Hospitals during lockdown. A total of 152 patients with hip fracture were observed with a significant reduction compared with the same period in 2017-2019. During the Lockdown period a reduction was observed of the mean age from 84.2 ±2.6 years old to 82.5±1.2 with a higher incidence in males, particularly in < 80-year-olds. The national lockdown resulted in a decreased incidence of proximal femur fractures in the under 80 years-old population, mainly in males. No significant differences were noted in older patients.