scholarly journals An analysis of the risk factors for falls, recurrent falls, and fall-related injuries among the elderly in senior Chinese apartments: a cross-sectional study

Author(s):  
Qingqing Su ◽  
Mi Song ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Yazhan Mao ◽  
Jie Song ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Falls, recurrent falls, and fall-related injuries among the elderly are severe problems that seriously threaten the quality of life and health in old age. However, there are few studies on fall risks among the elderly living in senior apartments in China. Our study aims to investigate the factors and differences in falls, recurrent falls, and fall-related injuries among these elderly residents, providing a reference for screening those with high fall risks. Method Face-to-face structured interviews were conducted on 331 older adults over 65 years of age living in four senior apartments. We performed comparative analyses on the results of fall events with two separate criteria (falls vs. no falls; number of falls ≤ 1 and without injury vs. fall-related injuries or number of falls ≥ 2). Several significant variables were involved in a logistic model for regression analysis. Results Falls, recurrent falls, and fall-related injuries among the elderly in senior apartments were independently associated with gender (female), urinary incontinence/frequency, and conscious unsteady gait. Furthermore, fall risks increased with age and the number of risk factors. The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of the fall risk prediction model were 0.749, 82.4%, and 57.1%, respectively. Conclusions Falls among the elderly in senior apartments are affected by several factors. Female elderly with urinary incontinence/frequency and conscious unsteady gait should be prioritized for fall prevention interventions.

Author(s):  
R. Senthil Kumar ◽  
Kamali Ravindran

Background: Falls are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly people. Falls lead to multiple medical and psychological problems in the elderly. Aim was to study the prevalence of falls among the elderly and to find the associated risk factors for falls among the elderly living in an urban slum in Chennai.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among elderly population over 60 years and above, in an urban slum area. About 150 elderly were selected using simple random sampling method, using the voters list as the sampling frame. A pretested questionnaire was administered to collect information about falls. In statistical analysis univariate and multivariate logistic regression was employed using SPSS version 22.Results: Of the 150 elderly persons studied, prevalence of falls rate is 35.3% (95% CI 28.13 to 43.26). Of them 64.1% had one episode of fall and 35.8% had recurrent falls. The prevalence of fall among persons with comorbidities like hypertension or diabetes was 39.3% and 36.1% respectively .The rate of fall among those using a walking stick was 58.3%, having tremors was 15% and having abnormal gait was 40%. The risk factors found to be significantly associated in univariate analysis were gender and presence of tremors (p<0.05). In multivariate analysis none of the factors showed statistical significance.Conclusions: Falls are very common among elderly. It is utmost important to prevent the falls by making necessary environmental modifications and following healthy lifestyle. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Breno de Sousa Santana ◽  
Bárbara Soares Rodrigues ◽  
Marina Morato Stival ◽  
Cris Renata Grou Volpe

Abstract Objective: to analyze blood pressure control in elderly hypertensives accompanied by a Basic Health Unit of the Federal District, determining the sociodemographic profile and the associated risk factors. Method: this is a cross-sectional study with 133 elderly hypertensive patients. Variables related to sociodemographic factors, life habits, clinical factors and adherence to drug therapy were evaluated through the application of semistructured instruments and validated scales. Results with p <0.05 were considered significant. Results: the elderly presented controlled blood pressure (56.4%) predominantly. The majority of the participants were female and women also had a higher rate of uncontrolled blood pressure (86.2%). Older age was associated with higher blood pressure values (p = 0.031). Alcoholism (p = 0.020) and mean body mass index of 33.0 (p <0.000) were factors associated with hypertension adherence to therapy had more controlled values of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion and implications for the practice: it was verified that there is a strong association between the risk factors discussed and the lack of control of the blood pressure of elderly hypertensive, especially with regard to advanced age, alcoholism, obesity and overweight, and it is necessary to reorient the planning and strategies of promotion of health and prevention of diseases directed at the elderly hypertensive in the scope of primary health care.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Monteiro ◽  
Renata Marto ◽  
Mario Fritsch Neves

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) increases with age and ankle-brachial index (ABI) ≤ 0.9 is a noninvasive marker of PAD. The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors related to a low ABI in the elderly using two different methods of ABI calculation (traditional and modified definition using lower instead of higher ankle pressure). A cross-sectional study was carried out with 65 hypertensive patients aged 65 years or older. PAD was present in 18% of individuals by current ABI definition and in 32% by modified method. Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, higher levels of systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure, elevated risk by Framingham Risk Score (FRS), and a higher number of total and antihypertensive drugs in use were associated with low ABI by both definitions. Smoking and LDL-cholesterol were associated with low ABI only by the modified definition. Low ABI by the modified definition detected 9 new cases of PAD but cardiovascular risk had not been considered high in 3 patients when calculated by FRS. In conclusion, given that a simple modification of ABI calculation would be able to identify more patients at high risk, it should be considered for cardiovascular risk prediction in all elderly hypertensive outpatients.


2017 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 214-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Hao Hung ◽  
Chih-Jen Wang ◽  
Ting-Ching Tang ◽  
Liang-Yu Chen ◽  
Li-Ning Peng ◽  
...  

Gerontology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian König ◽  
Maik Gollasch ◽  
Ilja Demuth ◽  
Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen

Background: In aging populations with an ever-growing burden of risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the rise. However, little is known about its exact prevalence among elderly adults, and often albuminuria is not included in the definition of CKD. Moreover, novel equations for the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) have recently emerged, which have not been applied comprehensively to older adults. Data on CKD awareness among the elderly are sparse. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of CKD among older adults by eGFR and albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR), compare the performance of 6 established and novel eGFR formulas, explore risk factors, and determine the awareness of CKD in a large cohort of community-dwelling elderly from Germany. Methods: A total of 1,628 subjects from the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) were included in this analysis (mean age 68.7 years; 51.2% female). Extensive cross-sectional data on sociodemographics, lifestyle, medication, and diagnoses were inquired during structured interviews and a medical examination, and blood and urine parameters were measured. Results: In all, 77.1% of the subjects had hypertension, 12.4% had diabetes, and 18.3% were obese. The prevalence of CKD strongly depended on the eGFR equations used: 25.4% (full age spectrum [FAS] equation), 24.6% (Berlin Initiative Study), 23.1% (Lund-Malmö revised), 19.3% (Cockcroft-Gault), 16.4% (Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration [CKD-EPI]), and 14.7% (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease [MDRD]). Of the subjects with an eGFRFAS <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or an ACR >30 mg/g, only 3.9% were aware of having CKD. Polypharmacy, age, BMI, coronary artery disease, non-HDL cholesterol, and female sex were independently associated with CKD. Conclusions: CKD is prevalent among older adults in Germany, but awareness is low. The FAS equation detects higher rates of CKD than MDRD and CKD-EPI, which are most widely used at present. Also, when CKD is defined based on eGFR and albuminuria, considerably more people are identified than by eGFR alone. Finally, polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk for CKD in the elderly.


2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 764-772
Author(s):  
Suncica Ivanovic ◽  
Sanja Trgovcevic

Background/Aim. After a fall, the elderly can develop a fear of falling which can be more frequent and more serious problem than the fall itself because it represents the main factor limiting an older person in his/her everyday functioning. The aim of this study was to identify and examine, in a more detailed way, risk factors for developing fear of falling triggered by the history of their falls over the previous year in the elderly in Serbia who live in houses or apartments. Methods. The cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 people, mean age 75.04 years (min. 65, max. 94), randomly selected from the register of patients in the Primary Health Center of Nis (164 men and 236 women), in the period January- June 2014. Socio-demographic questionnaire ? Elderly Fall Screening Test (EFST), Multi-Factor Questionnaire Falls (MFQ) and Falls Efficacy Scale International (FESI) were used in this study. Results. After applying the multivariate binary logistic regression, it was found that significant predictors for developing fear of falling were as follows: female gender (OR = 2.599; p = 0.009), age 75?79 years (OR = 4.637; p = 0.009) and over 80 years (OR = 3.830; p = 0.001), increase in household members (OR = 1.206; p = 0.033), people who estimate their health as average (OR = 0.268; p < 0.001) and good (OR = 0.059; p < 0.001), number of falls higher than 2 (OR = 2.761; p = 0.003), presence of injuries during the fall (OR = 2.483; p = 0.028), periodical and repeating situations of ?near-fall? (OR = 3.830; p = 0.001), limited activity (OR = 2.124; p = 0.007) problems with sight (OR = 3.006; p < 0.001), cognitive problems (OR = 2.296; p = 0.005) and problems with balance (OR = 3.809; p < 0.001). Conclusion. The results of this study can be used for planning promotional programs for falls and a fear of falling prevention, as well as prevention of their consequences.


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