title: Falls and age in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: The study's objective was to estimate the prevalence of falls in community-residing patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to investigate the relationship between falls and age in AD. This was a study of 326 community-residing patients with AD according to National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria. The patients and their caregivers were asked about falls, behavioral disturbances, and medication use within the last 2 weeks. The patients were also rated on standardized measures of cognitive impairment, stage of dementia, depression, daily activities, general health, and extrapyramidal symptoms. Falls occurred in 24 (7.4%) patients with AD during the last 2 weeks. Using multiple logistic regression analyses, falls were independently associated with old age (odds ratio = 1.2; p = .03; 95% confidence interval = 1.0 to 1.4) but not with other variables examined. The authors conclude that falls in community-residing patients with AD are significantly associated with old age. Population-based prospective studies are needed to investigate further the risk factors for falls in AD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Medhat M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bassiony
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosenblatt
authors.forename: Alva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.forename: Cynthia D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.forename: Jeanie-Marie E
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sheppard
authors.forename: Constantine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lyketsos
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires