Abstract
During 1985, 4,490 patients with a hip fracture were treated in Finland. From 1970 to 1985, the number almost doubled. The predicted annual number of patients with a hip fracture by the year 2000 will rise to 5,800 if the calculations are based on available demographic data, and to 7,100 if the trend observed during the period 1970 to 1985 continues.