title: Association between nocturia and falls-related long-term mortality risk in the elderly.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A high falls-related mortality rate in the elderly is not exclusively related to injuries. Moreover, the risk of falls increases with urinary disorders such as nocturia. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of nocturia in falls-related long-term mortality in elderly subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The "Osservatorio Geriatrico Regione Campania" was a cross-sectional study performed in 1992 in Campania, a region of Southern Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Long-term mortality (12 years' follow-up) in 178 elderly subjects (mean age 74.0 ± 6.3 years) with falls and 1110 elderly subjects (mean age 75.2 ± 6.4 years) without falls at baseline was measured. Subjects were then stratified for the presence/absence of nocturia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our sample, the prevalence of falls was 13.8% and the prevalence of nocturia was 45.7%. Long-term mortality was 51.3% in nonfallers and 62.9% in fallers (P < .05). In the absence of nocturia, long-term mortality was similar in nonfallers and fallers (49.0% vs 46.7%; P = .514, NS). In contrast, in the presence of nocturia, long-term mortality was higher in fallers than in nonfallers (74.5% vs 53.6%; P < .05). Cox regression analysis confirmed the predictive role of falls on long-term mortality in the presence of nocturia (hazard ratio 60; 95% confidence interval 1.01-2.57; P < .05) but not in the absence of nocturia (hazard ratio = 1.27; 95% confidence interval 0.81-1.99; P = .28).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that falls are related to an increased risk of long-term mortality in the elderly much more in the presence of nocturia. This phenomenon is probably related to the high comorbidity that usually affects elderly subjects with nocturia.
authors: Istituto Scientifico di Veruno (Novara), Divisione di Recupero e Rieducazione Funzionale, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, IRCCS, Veruno (Novara), Italy.
authors: Gianluigi
authors: G
authors: Galizia
authors: Assunta
authors: A
authors: Langellotto
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Cacciatore
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Mazzella
authors: Gianluca
authors: G
authors: Testa
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Della-Morte
authors: Gaetano
authors: G
authors: Gargiulo
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Ungar
authors: Nicola
authors: N
authors: Ferrara
authors: Franco
authors: F
authors: Rengo
authors: Pasquale
authors: P
authors: Abete
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000401:mortality*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D053158:Nocturia / Q000401:mortality*; D018570:Risk Assessment