title: Risk factors associated with falls in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated risk factors of falls in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 211 patients aged ≧60years (168 diabetic patients and 43 non-diabetic control subjects) were studied. Factors associated with falls in the past year were retrospectively examined using multiple logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of patients who had a history of falls in the past year was twice as high as in diabetic patients compared in control subjects (36.9% vs. 18.6%, P<0.05). When diabetic patients were exclusively analyzed, the presence of any level of hypoglycemia and the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) scores correlated with patients' falls. The presence of hypoglycemia (OR 3.62, 95% CI: 1.242-10.534, P=0.018), cognitive impairment (OR 3.63, 95% CI: 1.227-10.727, P=0.020), and high Fall Risk Index scores (OR 1.2, 95% CI: 1.010-1.425, P=0.039) was independently correlated with the presence of multiple falls. When the diabetic patients were divided into three groups according to the frequency of hypoglycemia episodes, the prevalence of falls increased as the frequency of hypoglycemia increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypoglycemia was a risk factor of falls in elderly type 2 diabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan. Electronic address: chibaytky2004@yahoo.co.jp.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chiba
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimbara
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Remi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kodera
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuboi
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Seijiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, Metabolism, and Endocrinology, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital, 35-2, Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Araki
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose
keywords: Elderly type 2 diabetes; Falls; Frailty; Hypoglycemia; Impaired balance; Sarcopenia