CDC数据：65岁以上跌倒2024年致逾4.3万人死亡，急诊接诊约450万人次
美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）的数据显示，65岁及以上长者的跌倒在2024年造成超过43,000人死亡，是该年龄段伤害死亡的首要原因；同年急诊部门记录了约450万人次的长者跌倒就诊。CDC同时强调，跌倒并非衰老的必然结果，是可以预防的。
CDC的「Still Going Strong」长者专页指出，每年有超过四分之一的长者报告跌倒，合计约3,700万次跌倒事件；跌倒可造成骨折、头部或脑部损伤等严重伤害。跌倒与车祸也是长者创伤性脑损伤住院的两个最常见原因。
CDC为此推出多项工具：公众可用「Falls Free CheckUp」问卷自评跌倒风险，用LIFE跌倒预防规划工具制定个人化的防跌计划；面向医护人员的STEADI计划（Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries）则提供筛查、评估与干预的全套资源，帮助医生系统降低老年患者的跌倒风险。
CDC还提醒，部分常用药物会增加跌倒或车祸风险，长者应与医生核对在用药物清单；跌倒后即使自觉无碍，也应告知医护人员，因为每年跌倒的人中，超过一半没有把这件事告诉医生。
（来源：美国疾病控制与预防中心）
CDC Data: Falls Killed More Than 43,000 Adults 65 and Older in 2024, With About 4.5 Million Emergency Department Visits
Falls among adults 65 and older caused more than 43,000 deaths in 2024, making falls the leading cause of injury death for that age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Emergency departments recorded about 4.5 million visits for older adult falls the same year. The CDC stresses that falls are not an inevitable part of aging and can be prevented.
More than one in four older adults reports falling each year, adding up to about 37 million falls, CDC's Still Going Strong pages note. Falls can cause serious injuries such as broken bones or head and brain injuries, and falls and motor vehicle crashes are the two most common causes of traumatic brain injury hospitalizations among older adults.
The CDC offers several tools to cut that risk. The public can gauge personal risk with the Falls Free CheckUp questionnaire and build a tailored plan with the LIFE Fall Prevention Planning Tool. For health care providers, the STEADI initiative, Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries, provides screening, assessment and intervention resources to reduce fall risk among older patients.
Some commonly used medicines can raise the risk of a fall or a car crash, so the CDC advises older adults to review their medication lists with their doctor. And anyone who does fall should tell their health care provider even if they feel unhurt: more than half of older adults who fall each year never mention it.
(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
来源：美国疾病控制与预防中心
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
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