Trauma patients ≥ 65 years old constitute 40% of severely injured adult trauma patients in Sweden – a 10-year analysis of geriatric trauma prevalence

BACKGROUND: The elderly population in Sweden is steadily increasing. Age is an independent predictor of mortality in trauma patients. There is growing evidence that geriatric patients constitute an increasing proportion of the Swedish trauma population. No studies have analyzed temporal trends in the proportion of geriatric trauma patients in the context of the national trauma population in Sweden. AIM: To determine the proportion of geriatric patients in the Swedish trauma population and analyze temporal trends in geriatric trauma prevalence. METHODS: The study cohort was 11,969 severely injured trauma patients (NISS > 15) treated in Sweden during 2013-2022, obtained from the Swedish Trauma Registry. The proportion of geriatric patients was compiled annually. Temporal trends were analyzed using weighted linear regression models. Two subgroups were defined based on injury severity (NISS ≥ 25 and NISS ≥ 40). RESULTS: The proportion of patients ≥ 65 years in the adult trauma population increased from 30% to 40% during 2013-2022 (p = 0.003), while the proportion of patient ≥ 80 years also increased, from 8.6% to 17% (p = 0.009). Similar increases were also seen in the NISS ≥ 25 and NISS ≥ 40 subgroups. CONCLUSION: There is likely an increase in geriatric trauma prevalence in Sweden, but the full extent of this temporal trend remains uncertain. Trauma patients ≥ 65 years old constitute 40% of severely injured adult trauma patients in Sweden. Further investigations of geriatric trauma prevalence in relation to demographic changes may be of interest to determine the future implications for Swedish healthcare.