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Examining the relationship between specific cognitive processes and falls risk in older adults: a systematic review.

ABSTRACT: This systematic review aims to establish which cognitive domains are associated with falls or falls risk. Recent evidence suggests that impaired cognition increases seniors' risk of falling. The purpose of this review was to identify the cognitive domains that are significantly associated with falls or falls risk in older adults. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles published from 1948 to present, focusing on studies investigating different domains of cognitive function and their association with falls or falls risk in adults aged 60 years or older. In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we completed a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE databases to identify studies examining the association between cognitive function and falls or falls risk. With an expert in the field, we developed a quality assessment questionnaire to rate the quality of the studies included in this systematic review. Twenty-five studies were included in the review. We categorized studies based on two related but distinct cognitive domains: (1) executive functions or (2) dual-task ability. Twelve studies reported a significant association between executive functions and falls risk. Thirteen studies reported that dual-task performance is a predictor of falls or falls risk in older adults. Three studies did not report an association between cognition and falls risk. Consistent evidence demonstrated that executive functions and dual-task performance were highly associated with falls or falls risk. The results from this review will aid healthcare professionals and researchers in developing innovative screening and treatment strategies for mitigating falls risk by targeting specific cognitive domains.

SUBMITTER: Hsu CL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4476839 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Examining the relationship between specific cognitive processes and falls risk in older adults: a systematic review.

Hsu C L CL Nagamatsu L S LS Davis J C JC Liu-Ambrose T T

Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA 20120526 10

This systematic review aims to establish which cognitive domains are associated with falls or falls risk. Recent evidence suggests that impaired cognition increases seniors' risk of falling. The purpose of this review was to identify the cognitive domains that are significantly associated with falls or falls risk in older adults. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles published from 1948 to present, focusing on studies investigating different domains of cognitive func ...[more]

PMID: 22638707

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Project description:ObjectivesOlder adults frequently experience falls, at great cost to themselves and society. Older adults with cancer may be at greater risk for falls and have unique risk factors.Materials and methodsWe undertook a systematic review of the available medical literature to examine the current evidence regarding factors associated with falls in older adults with cancer. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, CENTRAL, DARE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and clinical trials.gov were searched using standardized terms for concepts of oncology/cancer, people 60 and older, screening, falls and diagnosis. Eligible studies included cohort or case-control studies or clinical trials in which all patients, or a subgroup of patients, had a diagnosis of cancer and in which falls were either the primary or secondary outcome.ResultsWe identified 31 studies that met our inclusion criteria. Several studies suggest that falls are more common in older adults with a diagnosis of cancer than those without. Among the 11 studies that explored factors associated with outpatient falls, some risk factors for falls established in the general population were also associated with falls in older adults with cancer, including dependence in activities of daily living and prior falls. Other factors associated with falls in a general population, such as age, polypharmacy and opioid use, were not predictive of falls among oncology populations. Falls among older adults with cancer in the inpatient setting were associated with established risk factors for falls in people without cancer, but also with factors unique to an oncology population, such as brain metastases.ConclusionsFalls in older adults with cancer are more common than in the general population, and are associated with risk factors unique to people with cancer. Further study is needed to establish methods of screening older adults with cancer for fall risk and ultimately implement interventions to reduce their risk of falls. Identifying which older adults with cancer are at greater risk for falls is a requisite step to ultimately intervene and prevent falls in this vulnerable population.

Project description:Falls and fall-related fractures are a major public health problem among the older adults. Although objective measures of poor vision have been reported to be associated with falls, the association of self-reported visual function and vision-specific quality of life (QOL) with falls has been inconsistent across several studies. We investigated the association of self-reported visual function and vision specific QOL with falls in community-dwelling older adults.We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the baseline data from participants of the Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcome in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS), which is an ongoing population-based cohort study to evaluate the association of physical dysfunction with the clinical outcomes in community-dwelling people. In the present study, the participants aged over 65 years in 2010 were eligible. The exposure variable was the composite score of the VFQ-J11, which was newly developed using item response theory to evaluate vision specific QOL, and the self-reported outcomes were any fall and frequent falls (≥2) over a 1-month period. We estimated odds ratios using separate logistic regression models adjusted for relevant confounding factors.Among 1624 participants, the median (interquartile range) composite score of VFQ-J11 was 86.8 (76.0-95.9). Any fall and frequent falls were reported by 13.9% and 5.4% of participants, respectively. The composite score of the VFQ-J11 was significantly associated with both frequent falls (adjusted ORs per 10 points, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.68-0.93) and any fall (adjusted ORs per 10 points, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76-0.94).We found that the composite score of the VFQ-J11 was associated with falls in community-dwelling older adults. Detecting individuals with visual impairments associated with falls using the VFQ-J11 and improvement in the score by interventions could prevent falls. We may consider adding self-reported visual function and vision-specific QOL to conventional risk factors for fall among older adults.

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Examining the relationship between specific cognitive processes and falls risk in older adults: a systematic review.

Publications

Examining the relationship between specific cognitive processes and falls risk in older adults: a systematic review.

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