Falls in patients with neuromuscular disorders

• Published in: Journal of the neurological sciences Vol. 251; no. 1; pp. 87 - 90
• Main Authors: Pieterse, A.J., Luttikhold, T.B., de Laat, K., Bloem, B.R., van Engelen, B.G., Munneke, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 21.12.2006; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Accidental falls; Accidental Falls - statistics & numerical data; Activities of Daily Living; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Confidence Intervals; Fear; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Incidence; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Neurology; Neuromuscular disease; Neuromuscular Diseases - epidemiology; Neuromuscular Diseases - physiopathology; Neuromuscular Diseases - psychology; Odds Ratio; Predictive Value of Tests; Registries - statistics & numerical data; Risk factors; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Neuromuscular disease; Accidental falls; Risk factors; Human; Striated muscle disease; Neuromuscular diseases; Nervous system diseases; Risk factor
• ISSN: 0022-510X; 1878-5883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2006.09.008

We monitored the incidence and consequences of falls during a 3-month follow-up in 66 patients with a variety of neuromuscular disorders and in 44 age-matched controls. Patients fell more often than controls (27% versus 5%). Falls frequently caused injuries (minor in 79% of subjects and major in 5%) and were often accompanied by fear of falling (58%) and reduced activities (48%). We conclude that falling is a clinically important problem in patients with neuromuscular disorders.