title: Can we predict the risk of falls in elderly patients with instability?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to determine whether clinical and instrumental examination of balance can predict the risk of falls in elderly patients with instability.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  It is a case control study, with cases defined by falls in the last year, developed in a third level university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy patients aged 65 years or more who met at least one of the following inclusion criteria: (a) at least one fall in the last year; (b) spend more than 15s during the timed up and go test (TUG); (c) a score of less than 68% average balance in the sensory organisation test (SOT) of the computerised dynamic posturography (CDP); or (d) at least one fall in the CDP-SOT.
  
  
  METHODS
  TUG test, CDP-SOT, CDP centre of gravity balancing (CG) and limits of stability (LOS), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) test and short FES-I test.
  
  
  METHODS
  Number of steps and time (TUG), average balance and use of sensorial information (CDP-SOT), speed and directional control (CDP-CG and LOS), DHI score and short FES-I score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing subjects without falls (non-fallers) vs subjects with at least one fall (fallers) in the last year, fallers obtain worse scores than non-fallers in condition 2 (p=0.043) and use of somatosensory information (p=0.039). Comparing subjects with five falls or less (non-multiple-fallers) vs subjects with more than five falls (multiple-fallers), multiple-fallers obtain worse scores than non-multiple-fallers in overall balance (p=0.023), condition 6 (p=0.036), directional control (swaying (p=0.006) and LOS (p=0.023)) and short FES-I score (p=0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The three most useful parameters for identifying unstable elderly patients at particularly high risk of repeated falls are mean balance in the CDP SOT, directional control of CDP LOS and short FES-I score.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurotology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Department of Dermatology and Otorhinolaryngology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Electronic address: andres.soto@usc.es.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soto-Varela
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faraldo-García
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Lucus Augusti, Lugo, Spain.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossi-Izquierdo
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lirola-Delgado
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vaamonde-Sánchez-Andrade
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: del-Río-Valeiras
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago (IDIS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gayoso-Diz
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurotology, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario, Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Department of Dermatology and Otorhinolaryngology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Sofía
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Santos-Pérez
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Computerised dynamic posturography; DHI; Elderly; Falls; Short FES-I; Timed up and go