Circumstances and Factors Associated With Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults Diagnosed With Heart Disease Using the International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS)

Abstract

Simple and multiple logistic regressions identified which clinical factors were associated with falling. Results: A total of 429 older adults with CVD (mean age 69.5 ± 2.9) and 431 older adults without CVD (69.2 ± 2.9) participated in the study. Approximately 53% of fallers with CVD had 2 or more falls compared with fallers without CVD (39%). The most common location for falling was at home (43%) for fallers with CVD or in the street (50%) for fallers without CVD. Approximately 9% of fallers with CVD needed to be hospitalized while only 3% of fallers without CVD were admitted to the hospital. Approximately 42% of fallers with CVD had some residual sequelae (eg, being unable to walk around the house or do housework) compared with only 27% of fallers without CVD. Fallers with CVD had significantly (P value < .007) more depressive symptoms (mean ± SD, 14.7 ± 12.9) and poorer physical performance (8.4 ± 3.0) compared with fallers without CVD (10.1 ± 9.4 and 9.6 ± 2.5, respectively); however FOF was the only significant clinical factor (P value < .05) associated with falling for older adults with CVD. Conclusions: Incidence of recurrent falls is higher among older adults with CVD than those without CVD. Circumstances of falls among fallers with CVD differ from those identified among fallers without CVD. Fear of falling was the only predictor of fall history among older adults with CVD. The results suggest the merit of considering FOF when designing prevention and intervention programs to reduce falls among older adults with CVD.

Prevalence and risk factors for falls among older Chinese adults in the community: findings from the CLHLS study

“…Physical labor may negatively affect the muscle strength and endurance of older women and further weaken their balance ability and mobility (33). Older people with heart disease are prone to a series of symptoms, such as dyspnea and chest pain, which may indirectly lead to falls (34). Aburub et al (34) showed that older adults with cardiovascular diseases have a greater risk of falls.…”

“…Older people with heart disease are prone to a series of symptoms, such as dyspnea and chest pain, which may indirectly lead to falls (34). Aburub et al (34) showed that older adults with cardiovascular diseases have a greater risk of falls. Many studies have confirmed that when older adults sleep less than 6 h, the occurrence and frequency of falls increase significantly (35,36).…”