BMJ  2003;327 (27 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7417.0-c

Falls in elderly women are more often due to chronic disease than to drug use

Having a chronic disease or comorbidity is a better predictor than polypharmacy of falls in elderly women. Using cross sectional data from 4050 British women aged 60-79, Lawlor and colleagues (p 712) show that the risk of falling increases with the number of simultaneous chronic diseases and the number of drugs taken. However, the association with multiple diseases was stronger than that with polypharmacy and was independent of drug use and other confounders. Circulatory disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, and depression were associated with an increased risk of falling, as were two classes of drugs: antidepressants, and anxiolytics and hypnotics. Falling is common among elderly people and is associated with greater morbidity, disability, social isolation, and reduced quality of life.

Credit: PATRICIA MCDONOUGH/PHOTONICA

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Association between falls in elderly women and chronic diseases and drug use: cross sectional study

Debbie A Lawlor, Rita Patel, and Shah Ebrahim
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