Diabetes Mellitus Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Falls in Elderly Residents of a Long-Term Care Facility

Background. Diabetes mellitus is common among elderly persons, with several potential complications that could contribute to falls. However, diabetes mellitus is not widely recognized as an important risk factor for falls among elderly persons. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2005-09, Vol.60 (9), p.1157-1162
Main Authors: Maurer, Mathew S., Burcham, Joyce, Cheng, Huai
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidental Falls - statistics & numerical data
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Diabetes
Diabetes Mellitus
Falls
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Frail Elderly
Gerontology
Health risk assessment
Housing for the Elderly
Humans
Incidence
Male
Middle Aged
Nursing homes
Older people
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors
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Summary:Background. Diabetes mellitus is common among elderly persons, with several potential complications that could contribute to falls. However, diabetes mellitus is not widely recognized as an important risk factor for falls among elderly persons. Accordingly, the purpose of the current study was to determine whether diabetes is an independent risk factor for falls in elderly residents of a long-term care facility. Methods. Ours was a prospective cohort study of 139 elderly (88 ± 7 years, range 70–105 years), Caucasian (97%) residents (women, 84%) of a long-term care facility. Inclusion criteria were age ≥60 years, ability to rise from a seated position, informed consent obtained from participant or guardian. Multiple domains were assessed for the association with falls including: clinical diagnoses; medication use; orthostatic changes in blood pressure, gait, or balance; cognitive/mental status; general well being; activities of daily living; affect/behavior; range of motion and/or ambulation; and communication. Diabetes mellitus was determined by use of hypoglycemic agents. Time to first fall was determined by review of daily New York State mandated “Incident and Accident” reports. Results. Over the follow-up period (mean 299 days), 49 participants (35%) experienced a fall. The fall incidence rate for the participants with and without diabetes mellitus was 78% and 30%, respectively (p
ISSN:1079-5006
1758-535X
DOI:10.1093/gerona/60.9.1157