Skip to main content
PMC home page
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1992 Mar;82(3):395–400. doi: 10.2105/ajph.82.3.395

Mortality, disability, and falls in older persons: the role of underlying disease and disability.

J E Dunn 1, M A Rudberg 1, S E Furner 1, C K Cassel 1
PMCID: PMC1694374  PMID: 1531583

Abstract

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.

Full text

PDF
395

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Andres R., Elahi D., Tobin J. D., Muller D. C., Brant L. Impact of age on weight goals. Ann Intern Med. 1985 Dec;103(6 ):1030–1033. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-103-6-1030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Campbell A. J., Reinken J., Allan B. C., Martinez G. S. Falls in old age: a study of frequency and related clinical factors. Age Ageing. 1981 Nov;10(4):264–270. doi: 10.1093/ageing/10.4.264. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Champion H. R., Copes W. S., Buyer D., Flanagan M. E., Bain L., Sacco W. J. Major trauma in geriatric patients. Am J Public Health. 1989 Sep;79(9):1278–1282. doi: 10.2105/ajph.79.9.1278. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Feldman J. J., Makuc D. M., Kleinman J. C., Cornoni-Huntley J. National trends in educational differentials in mortality. Am J Epidemiol. 1989 May;129(5):919–933. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115225. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Nevitt M. C., Cummings S. R., Kidd S., Black D. Risk factors for recurrent nonsyncopal falls. A prospective study. JAMA. 1989 May 12;261(18):2663–2668. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Nickens H. Intrinsic factors in falling among the elderly. Arch Intern Med. 1985 Jun;145(6):1089–1093. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Perry B. C. Falls among the elderly: a review of the methods and conclusions of epidemiologic studies. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1982 Jun;30(6):367–371. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1982.tb02833.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Prudham D., Evans J. G. Factors associated with falls in the elderly: a community study. Age Ageing. 1981 Aug;10(3):141–146. doi: 10.1093/ageing/10.3.141. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Sattin R. W., Lambert Huber D. A., DeVito C. A., Rodriguez J. G., Ros A., Bacchelli S., Stevens J. A., Waxweiler R. J. The incidence of fall injury events among the elderly in a defined population. Am J Epidemiol. 1990 Jun;131(6):1028–1037. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115594. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Tinetti M. E., Speechley M., Ginter S. F. Risk factors for falls among elderly persons living in the community. N Engl J Med. 1988 Dec 29;319(26):1701–1707. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198812293192604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Tinetti M. E., Williams T. F., Mayewski R. Fall risk index for elderly patients based on number of chronic disabilities. Am J Med. 1986 Mar;80(3):429–434. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(86)90717-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Waaler H. T. Height, weight and mortality. The Norwegian experience. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1984;679:1–56. doi: 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1984.tb12901.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Wild D., Nayak U. S., Isaacs B. How dangerous are falls in old people at home? Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981 Jan 24;282(6260):266–268. doi: 10.1136/bmj.282.6260.266. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES