Abstract
In 2793 respondents aged 65 and over in a survey of a geographically defined community, who were asked about falls in the preceding twelve months, the estimated annual prevalence rate (persons) of falls was 28.0%. Standardized for age, the rate was twice as high in women as in men. Rates increased with age but more steeply in men than in women. Compared with non-fallers, fallers had been in more recent contact with their general practitioner, showed higher prevalence of problems with mobility and daily living, a more frequent history of stroke and heart disease, and had more episodes of non-rotatory vertigo, double vision, faints and blackouts and episodes of weakness or numbness. Fallers also showed more frequent evidence suggestive of cognitive impairment. More fallers than non-fallers were taking diuretics and tranquilizers and these associations merit further study.
Keywords
MedicineWeaknessVertigoStroke (engine)Physical therapyCognitive impairmentInjury preventionPoison controlOccupational safety and healthDiseaseGerontologyPediatricsMedical emergencySurgeryInternal medicine
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Factors Associated with Serious Injury During Falls by Ambulatory Nursing Home Residents
Recognizing the importance of identifying fallers at risk for injury, the author studied factors associated with injury during falls by ambulatory nursing home residents. Forty‐...
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living as a Potential Marker of Frailty: A Study of 7364 Community-Dwelling Elderly Women (the EPIDOS Study)
Our results confirmed that women with disability on at least one IADL item are frailer because they had more associated disorders, poorer cognitive function and more frequent fa...
Prevalence, age distribution, and gender of patients with atrial fibrillation. Analysis and implications
The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is related to age. Anticoagulation is highly effective in preventing stroke in patients with AF, but the risk of hemorrhage may be inc...
Prevalence of obesity among adults: United States, 2011-2012.
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2012. More than one-third (34.9%) of adults were obese in 2011-2012. In 2011-2012, the prevalence of obesity...
Prevalence, Age Distribution, and Gender of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is related to age. Anticoagulation is highly effective in preventing stroke in patients with AF, but the risk of hemorrhage may be inc...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1981
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 141-146
- Citations
- 801
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
801
OpenAlex
Cite This
D. Prudham,
J. Grimley Evans
(1981).
Factors Associated with Falls in the Elderly: A Community Study.
Age and Ageing
, 10
(3)
, 141-146.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/10.3.141
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1093/ageing/10.3.141