The perils of pet ownership: a new fall‐injury risk factor

Objective: To describe fall‐related injuries due to pets in an older population. Design: Case series. Participants and setting: Patients aged 75 years and over presenting to the emergency department of a metropolitan hospital in northern Sydney over 18 months, with a fracture directly related to the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical journal of Australia 2004-12, Vol.181 (11-12), p.682-683
Main Authors: Kurrle, Susan E, Day, Robert, Cameron, Ian D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidental Falls - statistics & numerical data
Age Distribution
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Animals
Animals, Domestic
Cats
Cohort Studies
Dogs
Emergency medical care
Falls
Follow-Up Studies
Fractures
Fractures, Bone - epidemiology
Fractures, Bone - etiology
Fractures, Bone - therapy
Geriatrics
Gerontology
Goats
Health services
Humans
Incidence
Injuries
Middle Aged
New South Wales
Older people
Pets
Risk Assessment
Sex Distribution
Social determinants of health
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Summary:Objective: To describe fall‐related injuries due to pets in an older population. Design: Case series. Participants and setting: Patients aged 75 years and over presenting to the emergency department of a metropolitan hospital in northern Sydney over 18 months, with a fracture directly related to their pet. Main outcome measures: Type of fracture; circumstances of injury. Results: 16 cases (mean patient age, 81 years) are described; 13 (81%) involved women. Animals of five species were involved, with cats and dogs being the most common pet hazard. Conclusions: Pets are a potential environmental hazard in the occurrence of fall‐related injuries in older people, with dogs and cats most likely to be involved. Women appear more likely than men to be injured.
ISSN:0025-729X
1326-5377
DOI:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06523.x