CHRONIC DISEASES LINKED TO FALLS IN ELDERLY WOMEN

Main Menu | News By Date | News By Supplier | News By Category | About Us

CHRONIC DISEASES LINKED TO FALLS IN ELDERLY WOMEN
25 April 2007 - University of Bristol

Elderly women with chronic diseases, such as arthritis and depression, are at higher risk of falling, finds a study in this week’s BMJ. In fact, chronic diseases may account for 30% of falls in this group.

Researchers at the University of Bristol surveyed 4,050 women aged 60-79 years about whether they had had a fall in the previous 12 months, how many times they had fallen, and whether they had received medical attention for any falls.

Nearly three quarters (2,961) of the women had at least one chronic disease. The risk of falling associated with having any chronic disease was 32%. Circulatory disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, and arthritis were each associated with higher odds of falling, even after adjusting for other factors.

However, no such relation with falling was found for the number of drugs used. After adjusting for chronic diseases, only sedatives and anti-depressants were associated with an increased risk of falling of between 2% and 5%.

These findings suggest that, in public health terms, targeting prevention and control of chronic diseases rather than the number of drugs taken may be a more useful strategy for preventing falls in elderly people, conclude the authors.

http://www.bris.ac.uk

About: University of Bristol
The University College of Bristol opened in 1876, after six years of discussions and controversy, in a bid to bring university culture to the provinces. It was the first college in the country to admit men and women on an equal footing.

The University’s Research and Enterprise Development (RED) division was launched in 2000 to stimulate and support an entrepreneurial culture and encourage the growth of technology-based business.

2003 saw the completion of the Dorothy Hodgkin building, named after the University’s fifth Chancellor. The £18 million building is dedicated to research in neuroendocrinology. 2003 also saw the opening of the University’s £5 million Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health.

Work on a new, state-of-the-art engineering building is due to be completed in early 2004. The £20 million BLADE project (Bristol Laboratory for Advanced Dynamics Engineering) will bring together the Engineering Faculty’s six departments to establish Europe’s most advanced dynamics engineering research facilities.

More News:
  • For April 2007
  • From University of Bristol
  • For Superconductors