title: Osteoarthritis and falls in the older person.
abstract: Osteoarthritis and falls are common conditions affecting older individuals which are associated with disability and escalating health expenditure. It has been widely assumed that osteoarthritis is an established risk factor for falls in older people. The relationship between osteoarthritis and falls has, quite surprisingly, not been adequately elucidated, and published reports have been conflicting. Our review of the existing literature has found limited evidence supporting the current assumption that the presence of osteoarthritis is associated with increased risk of falls with suggestions that osteoarthritis may actually be protective against falls related fractures. In addition, joint arthroplasty appears to increase the risk of falls in individuals with osteoarthritis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Chin Teck
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Maw Pin
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000367:Age Factors; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D019643:Arthroplasty, Replacement / Q000009:adverse effects; D001416:Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015897:Comorbidity; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D015995:Prevalence; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: accidental falls; fractures; older people; osteoarthritis