Current changes in the epidemiology of fall-related injuries in Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates.

Abstract

BackgroundFalls in the Gulf countries are the second most common cause of injuries. The United Arab Emirates government implemented various preventive measures to decrease injuries in the country. We aimed to evaluate the changes in the epidemiology of fall-related injuries in Al-Ain City over the last decade.MethodsData of hospitalized patients who presented with fall-related injuries to the Al-Ain Hospital during the two periods of March 2003 to March 2006 and January 2014 to December 2017 were compared. This included patients' demographics, mechanism, location, anatomical distribution and parameters related to injury severity. Non-parametric tests were used for the statistical analysis.Results882 in the first and 1358 patients in the second period were studied. The incidence of falls decreased by 30.5% over ten years. The number of elderly, female patients, and UAE nationals increased, (p ConclusionsOur study showed that the overall incidence of falls decreased compared to a decade ago. The preventive measures were effective in reducing falls from height and workplace injuries. Future preventive measures should target falls at the same level and homes.