Risk factors for falls in multiple sclerosis: an observational study

Abstract

This study confirms the high prevalence of falls in ambulant people with MS. Important potentially modifiable risk factors are identified, suggesting aspects to target in falls interventions.

Medications Are Associated with Falls in People with Multiple Sclerosis

“…The association between the use of more medications and falls is consistent with the recently published report of a statistically significant 12% increased odds of falls with the use of more medications in a cohort of people with MS in the United Kingdom 4 and the well-docu-types of medications taken and the number and severity of falls.…”

“…The proportions of fallers and injurious fallers found in this study, 58% and 44%, respectively, for the entire sample are consistent with other studies of falls in people with MS. [1][2][3][4]7,11,[22][23][24][25] However, the US sample fell more (72% fallers) than has been found in previous studies and more than the Australian sample, despite on average being less disabled and younger than the Australian sample. The reasons for this difference are uncertain but may be related to younger age, which has been found to be associated with increased fall risk in MS, 26 or to other unmeasured differences in the samples or in health-care delivery between countries.…”

“…4 The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between medications and falls, including injurious falls, in people with MS. The primary hypothesis was that the number of medications reported is significantly associated with prospectively ascertained falls and injurious falls after adjusting for appropriate covariates (age, disease severity, presence of comorbidities, sex, and country).…”

“…The use of dietary supplements was not associated with falls in this study, a finding that contrasts with a finding from the United Kingdom showing a decreased risk of falls in participants using over-the-counter medications (predominantly dietary supplements). 4 This inconsistency between the studies may be due to differing use of dietary supplements in countries with different medical systems.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5] More than 50% of people with MS fall in a 3-to 6-month period, and approximately 30% to 50% fall multiple times. [4][5][6] Falls in people with MS are associated with injuries 3,7,8 and adversely affect quality of life. 9 Fall risk in MS is generally attributed to impairments in the wide range of functions affected by the disease, including balance, cognition, vision, muscle strength and tone, coordination, and sensation.…”