Common Questions
What are some risk factors for serious falls?
- Unsteadiness on physical exam (1)
- History of a recent fall
- Osteoarthritis (1)
- Cognitive deficit (loss of judgment)
- Sedative use (2)
- Poor vision even with optimal correction (2)
- Low body mass (less protective soft tissue over bones) (3)
Data on these risk factors come from studies like the EPIDOS--a prospective cohort study of 7,575 women age 75 years or older. This study confirmed the importance of neuromuscular and visual deficits in the risk of falls. Data on other risk factors come from case-control studies.
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- Dargent-Molina P, Favier F, Grandjean H, et al. Fall-related factors and risk of hip fracture: The EPIDOS prospective study. Lancet 1996; 348(9021: 145-9.
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