New Study: Mortality rate from falls up for U.S. seniors

The number of American seniors who die from fall-related injuries has nearly doubled since 2000, according to a May data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics; 55% of older citizens who die of unintentional injuries do so from falls, up from 33% in 2000 (Source: “Why More Older Americans Are Suffering From Fatal Falls,” TIME, May 8, 2015).

There’s no single reason for the steep increase in deaths from falls, and it’s far from clear what may be behind the rise, says the National Center for Health Statistics’ Ellen Kramarow, the report’s co-author. She notes the report is based on death certificate data, and there may be better reporting on underlying causes of death than in the past. But one factor some researchers point to is the continuing increase in overall life expectancy.

Overall, unintentional injuries resulted in almost 46,000 deaths for those 65 and older, making it the eighth leading cause of death.