AIM: The aim of the present study was to estimate fall frequency as well as demographic and clinical factors related to falling in a cohort of Serbian patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHOD: The cross-sectional study comprised 300 consecutive patients recruited at the Neurology Clinic in Belgrade, Serbia, from August 2011 to December 2012. Data were acquired though detailed interviews, while a history of falling referred to the period of 6 months before testing. After a interview related to the circumstances of the last fall sustained by PD patients, the participants were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, the Hoehn and Yahr scale, the Falls Efficacy Scale and the Self-Assessment Disability Scale, New Freezing of Gait questionnaire for frequency and impact of freezing, and the Hamilton Depression and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. RESULTS: A total of 60% of individuals reported a fall in the 6-month period before testing. Multivariate regression showed that patients with PD who had a Self-Assessment Disability Scale score of ≥56 and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale total score of ≥69 were 2.04 and 3.32 times more likely to fall, respectively (95% CI 1.10-3.79, P = 0.023 for Self-Assessment Disability Scale and 95% CI 1.83-6.00, P = 0.001 for Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale). In contrast, a decrease of risk for falling by 57% was observed among those who practiced regular physical activity before the onset of PD (95% CI 0.23-0.80, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: There is a strong relationship between falling and self-perceived disability, whereas previous physical exercise had a protective effect.
AIM: The aim of the present study was to estimate fall frequency as well as demographic and clinical factors related to falling in a cohort of Serbian patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHOD: The cross-sectional study comprised 300 consecutive patients recruited at the Neurology Clinic in Belgrade, Serbia, from August 2011 to December 2012. Data were acquired though detailed interviews, while a history of falling referred to the period of 6 months before testing. After a interview related to the circumstances of the last fall sustained by PDpatients, the participants were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, the Hoehn and Yahr scale, the Falls Efficacy Scale and the Self-Assessment Disability Scale, New Freezing of Gait questionnaire for frequency and impact of freezing, and the Hamilton Depression and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. RESULTS: A total of 60% of individuals reported a fall in the 6-month period before testing. Multivariate regression showed that patients with PD who had a Self-Assessment Disability Scale score of ≥56 and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale total score of ≥69 were 2.04 and 3.32 times more likely to fall, respectively (95% CI 1.10-3.79, P = 0.023 for Self-Assessment Disability Scale and 95% CI 1.83-6.00, P = 0.001 for Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale). In contrast, a decrease of risk for falling by 57% was observed among those who practiced regular physical activity before the onset of PD (95% CI 0.23-0.80, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: There is a strong relationship between falling and self-perceived disability, whereas previous physical exercise had a protective effect.
Authors: Tatjana Gazibara; Darija Kisic-Tepavcevic; Marina Svetel; Aleksandra Tomic; Iva Stankovic; Vladimir S Kostic; Tatjana Pekmezovic Journal: Neurol Sci Date: 2016-02-15 Impact factor: 3.307
Authors: Tatjana Gazibara; Tatjana Pekmezovic; Darija Kisic-Tepavcevic; Marina Svetel; Aleksandra Tomic; Iva Stankovic; Vladimir S Kostic Journal: Eur J Epidemiol Date: 2015-03-18 Impact factor: 8.082
Authors: Tomasz Fundament; Paul R Eldridge; Alexander L Green; Alan L Whone; Rod S Taylor; Adrian C Williams; W M Michael Schuepbach Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-07-21 Impact factor: 3.240