title: Occult cardiac arrhythmias as risk factors for falls in the elderly.
abstract: Unexplained falls and syncope in the elderly are common and potentially dangerous. Attention is frequently focused solely on the result of the fall, without a search for its cause, which may be multifactorial. Sometimes specific risk factors, including occult cardiac arrhythmias, can be determined. A study of 59 residents in a Toronto geriatric centre who had experienced syncope or falls revealed arrhythmias in 27%, all of whom responded to treatment.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gordon
references.citation: Age Ageing. 1979 Aug;8(3):173-6
references.pmid: 554455
references.citation: Mod Concepts Cardiovasc Dis. 1983 Mar;52(3):11-6
references.pmid: 6843546
references.citation: Age Ageing. 1977 Nov;6(4):201-10
references.pmid: 596307
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1983 Jul 14;309(2):81-3
references.pmid: 6855870
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1983 Jul 28;309(4):197-204
references.pmid: 6866032
references.citation: JAMA. 1982 May 21;247(19):2687-91
references.pmid: 6804646