Even short falls can be deadly for 70-plus adults

WASHINGTON - A study has revealed that simple falls, such as slipping while walking off a curb, may seem relatively harmless but they can actually lead to severe injury and death in elderly individuals.

The new study found elderly adults - 70 years or older - who experience ground-level falls are much more likely to be severely injured and less likely to survive their injuries compared to adults younger than 70 years.

Elderly patients are three times as likely to die following a ground-level fall compared to their under-70 counterparts.

Trauma surgeon and researcher Julius Cheng conducted the largest analysis to date of trauma patients experiencing ground-level falls.

His team identified 57,302 patients with ground-level falls from 2001 through 2005 using the National Trauma Data Bank and analyzed demographics, type and severity of injuries and final outcomes.

The study has been published in The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care. (ANI)