Occurrence and Risk Factors for Falls in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Catherine Armstrong ¹, Caroline M Swarbrick ², Stephen R Pye ^2* and Terence W O'Neill ³

¹ Hope Hospital, United Kingdom
² The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
³ Hope Hospital, United Kingdom & The University of Manchester, United Kingdom

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mdeassrp{at}man.ac.uk.

Accepted 28 March 2005

Abstract

Objectives: There are few data concerning the occurrence of falls in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this analysis was to determine the one-year period prevalence of falls by age and gender in patients with RA and to determine the influence of concurrent medical therapy and disability on the occurrence of falls in this group.

Methods: A consecutive series of RA patients aged 35 years and over, attending hospital out-patient clinics at Hope hospital, Salford, were asked to complete an interview-assisted questionnaire which asked about the occurrence and number of falls in the previous 12 months. Subjects who took part were asked about, current therapy with anti-hypertensives, diuretics, sedatives or hypnotics, antidepressants, and a history of previous hip / knee surgery. They also completed the health assessment questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between these variables and falls in the previous 12 months.

Results: 253 men and women, mean age 62 years, were studied. 84 (33%) subjects reported falling in the previous year. Of these 52% had fallen on more than one occasion. 36% of women and 26% of men reported a fall in the previous year. There was no important increase in the frequency of falls with age. After adjusting for age and gender, those who had fallen in the previous year were more likely to report taking antidepressant therapy (OR=2.09), and to have impairment in both walking (OR=1.37) and rising (OR=1.41). HAQ score was higher in those who reported a fall than those who did not though the difference was not statistically significant.

Summary: In this hospital-based survey, one in three RA patients reported falling in the previous 12 months. Falls were associated with self reported impairment in lower limb function.

Keywords: falls, prevalence, rheumatoid arthritis, risk factors

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