Mortality, disability, and falls in older persons

The role of underlying disease and disability

Bibliographic Data

ID11036170
AuthorsJulie E Dunn (Chicago Department of Public Health), M A Rudberg (University of Illinois Chicago), Sylvia E Furner (Cancer Research And Biostatistics), C K Cassel (University of Illinois Chicago)
Year1992
Volume82
Issue3
Pages395-400
Publication date1992-03-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.82.3.395
PMID1531583
OpenAlexW2064554327
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited11

BACKGROUND. Falls are prevalent in older persons and can have serious consequences. METHODS. Data from the Longitudinal Study on Aging were analyzed to study the relationship between falls and both mortality and functional status in 4270 respondents age 70 and over. The effects of demographic traits, chronic conditions, and disability present at baseline were controlled for by means of multivariable analyses. RESULTS. Risk of death within 2 years was greater for both single fallers (crude odds ratio [OR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.0) and multiple fallers (crude OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.7-2.8). This excess risk was dissipated when selected covariates were added to the model. No crude or adjusted association was evident between single falls and functional impairment; however, multiple falls were an independent risk factor (adjusted OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-2.0). CONCLUSIONS. Multiple falls in older persons increase risk of functional impairment and may indicate underlying conditions that increase risk of death

Confidence interval · Environmental health · Injury prevention · Odds ratio · Poison control · Risk factor · Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention · Chronic Disease Management Strategies · Demography · Frailty in Older Adults · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Gerontology

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