Hip fractures have increased in the wake of Covid – and experts believe the pandemic and lockdowns are to blame.
A record 72,000 occurred in Britain in 2022, which is around 10 percent higher than levels in the first two years of the virus crisis.
This is despite a decline in the size of the ‘at-risk’ elderly population due to the pandemic itself, doctors said.
They claimed the statistics provided an “early indication” of the real effects of “physical deconditioning” – changes in the body caused by physical inactivity and disuse – seen during the pandemic.
It comes after Oscar-winning actress Sophia Loren also underwent emergency surgery yesterday to treat several ‘serious fractures’ to different parts of her hip after a fall at her Swiss home.
A record 72,000 occurred in Britain in 2022, which is around 10 percent higher than levels in the first two years of the virus crisis. Monthly statistics released by the council (pictured) show the 2018 and 2019 figures reflect the numbers reported in 2020 and 2021
The agent of Oscar-winning actress Sophia Loren confirmed yesterday that she had undergone emergency surgery after a fall at her Swiss home. The 89-year-old fell in her bathroom and suffered several “serious fractures” to different parts of her hip, including her thigh, which required “urgent surgery”, her agent Andrea Giusti told the PA news agency.
News of Ms Loren’s condition was shared by the team at her eponymous restaurant chain, who shared the news on their Instagram page.
The 2023 National Hip Fracture Database report found that 72,160 had been recorded in 2022.
But according to what the report called the “most dramatic observation,” more than 7,000 people had suffered a fracture by December 2022 alone.
This is much higher than the average of 5,500 per month in recent years.
A publication from the Royal College of Physicians said: ‘These additional hip fractures occurred despite a decline in the size of the ‘at risk’ older population over the previous three years, due to Covid-19 related deaths in older people and people who live in nursing homes.’
It noted a slight increase in the number of hip fractures under the age of 80.
The report added: ‘This may be an early indication of Public Health England (PHE) (now the UK Health Security Agency) predictions that physical deconditioning and an increased risk of falls due to the pandemic could lead to an increase of the number of people at risk of a fragility fracture.’
Monthly statistics released by the university show figures from 2018 and 2019 reflect the numbers reported in 2020 and 2021.
But officials also warned that the figures suggest the cost of inpatient care for these additional fractures will have added £75 million to the annual cost of hip fractures.
Long wait times for assessments, delays in surgeries and lengthy hospital stays that could lead to further physical deconditioning could also increase this figure, they said.
However, by comparison, healthcare spends an average of around £170 billion annually.
Most older people in Britain who break their hip do so in a low-energy trauma, such as a fall from standing height, rather than in a car crash or similar accident.
It comes after Loren’s agent yesterday confirmed she had undergone emergency surgery after a fall.
The 89-year-old fell in her bathroom and suffered several “serious fractures” to different parts of her hip, including her thigh, which required “urgent surgery”, her agent Andrea Giusti told the PA news agency.
In a statement also published on her self-titled restaurant’s Instagram page, her team wrote: ‘A fall at her home in Geneva today caused Ms Loren to fracture her hip.
‘After undergoing surgery with a positive outcome, she will now have to observe a short period of recovery and follow a path to rehabilitation.
‘Fortunately everything went well and the Lady will return to us very soon. The entire team at Sophia Loren Restaurant takes this opportunity to wish her a speedy recovery.”
In 2021, PHE predicted that ‘without measures’, up to 110,000 additional older people – an increase of 3.9 per cent – were expected to fall ‘at least once a year due to reduced strength and balance activities during the pandemic’.
In their report ‘Wider Impacts of COVID-19 on Physical Activity, Deconditioning and Falls in Older Adults’, officials also said the total number of falls could increase by 124,000 for men – a 6.3 percent increase – and by 130,000 for women. , an increase of 4.4 percent.
It added: ‘For each year that the lower levels of strength and balance activity observed during the pandemic continue, there are expected to be additional costs to the health and social care system due to the change in the predicted related declines of £211 million. (accrued over a period of two and a half years).’