Relationship between the Risk of Falling and Prescribed Medication in Community-dwelling Elderly Subjects

Introduction: The risk of falling increases with age. A third of the population over 65 has one or more falls per year. Objetive: to know the relationship between drug prescription and falls in the elderly. Materials and Methods: a study was carried out through a community intervention in individuals >= 70 years of age. Results: The sample was composed of 249 participants, 160 women (64%), with a mean age of 74.47 years (SD 5.33). During the 12 months prior to the study, the mean of falls per person was 0.5 (SD 0.94), the mean of the risk factors was 2.73 (SD 1.4) and the mean of the medication prescribed was 4.2 (SD 3.0). The percentage of the reduction of falls after the study was 12%. The amount of medication prescribed correlated with the incidence of falls before and after the study, r=0.193, p=0.002 y r2=0.170, p=0.009, respectively. Prior to the study, the individuals who were prescribed beta-blockers and antidepressants, had a fall incidence of 0.74 (SD 1.14) and 1.22 (SD 1.09), respectively, however after the intervention there was no relationship between drug prescription and falls. Conclusions: the fall prevention community program was effective since it prevented the negative effects of medication on falls. An interdisciplinary community intervention reduces the global incidence of falls and the incidence of falls related to some specific medication.