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【社会人文】研究显示入秋以来美国年老者死亡
Study: U.S. elderly die from falls more often than in the past
ATLANTA: The death rate from falling has risen dramatically — about 55 percent — for elderly people in the United States since the 1990s, said federal health officials, speculating that it is because people are living longer with chronic conditions like cancer and heart disease.
"Since people are not dying as much from chronic diseases, they're more likely to die from a fall," said Judy Stevens, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and lead author of the study reported Thursday in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Falling is the 14th leading cause of death among the elderly. The CDC research gives the newest federal data on elderly deaths from falls since 1996.
Like young people, sometimes older people trip on something, said Dr. Jeff Lesesne, a geriatrics specialist at Atlanta's Emory University. But he said many falls are associated with aging, including vision loss; deterioration of the inner ear and other changes that affect balance; and loss of strength that prevents seniors from recovering from a stumble.
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CDC researchers looked at death certificate data from 1993-2003 and counted cases in which falls were listed as a primary or underlying cause of death.
They found more than 13,700 older adults died from falls in 2003. That translated to about 37 deaths per 100,000 people 65 and older. The rate in 1993 was about 24 per 100,000 — meaning such deaths increased by 55 percent in the 10-year span.
The rate for men rose by about 45 percent in that time, from about 32 to 46 per 100,000. The rate for women rose 60 percent, from 19.5 to 31 per 100,000.
"I think it comes back to the issue of longevity. Women are living longer. There are even more frail women living to older ages than frail men," Stevens said. 本人已认领该文编译，48小时后若未提交译文，请其他战友自由认领。 Study: U.S. elderly die from falls
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2010-10-08 05:11
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