Seasonal variation of proximal femoral fractures in the United Kingdom

A prospective study including 3034 consecutive hip fracture patients admitted to a single unit in the United Kingdom over a 12-year period was performed. The daily incidence of hip fractures was compared between all four seasons throughout the year. Information was recorded for each patient including level of mobility, mental test score, type of residence, fracture type and total length of stay. Mortality rates at 30, 120 and 365 days were also calculated. More hip fractures occurred during the winter compared to summer (P = 0.002). There was an increase in the number of extracapsular fractures (P = 0.006) and tendency to a higher mortality for those patients admitted in the winter months. There was no significant difference in patient characteristics between the winter and summer seasons. Funding and resources within the health service may need to be adjusted to accommodate this variation in patient load. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.