Occult cardiac arrhythmias as risk factors for falls in the elderly.

Unexplained falls and syncope in the elderly are common and potentially dangerous. Attention is frequently focused solely on the result of the fall, without a search for its cause, which may be multifactorial. Sometimes specific risk factors, including occult cardiac arrhythmias, can be determined. A study of 59 residents in a Toronto geriatric centre who had experienced syncope or falls revealed arrhythmias in 27%, all of whom responded to treatment.