Citation

Welmer AK, Rizzuto D, Calderón-Larrañaga A, Johnell K. Am. J. Epidemiol. 2017; 186(9): 1049-1056.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/aje/kwx170

PMID

28535169

Abstract

We investigated whether there are sex differences in the association between pain and incident injurious falls. A total of 2934 people (≥60 years) from the population-based Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (2001-2004) participated. Participants were followed up for 3 and 10 years for falls leading to hospitalization or outpatient care. Data were analyzed with flexible parametric survival models adjusted for potential confounders. During 3 years of follow-up, 67 men and 194 women experienced an injurious fall, and over 10 years of follow up, 203 men and 548 women experienced such a fall. In men, the presence of pain, pain that was at least mild, pain that affected several daily activities, and daily pain significantly increased the likelihood of an injurious fall during the 3-year follow-up. The multi-adjusted hazard ratios ranged from 1.78 (95% confidence interval: 1.00, 3.15) for the presence of pain to 2.89 (95% confidence interval: 1.41, 5.93) for several daily activities affected by pain. The 10-year follow-up results were similar. No significant associations were detected in women. Although pain is less prevalent in men than women, its impact on risk of injurious falls seems to be greater in men.

© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Language: en

Keywords

Falls; Injury; Pain; Sex; Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K)