Citation

Hiraoka A, Tamura R, Oka M, Izumoto H, Ueki H, Tsuruta M, Yoshino T, Ono A, Aibiki T, Okudaira T, Yamago H, Suga Y, Iwasaki R, Mori K, Miyata H, Tsubouchi E, Kishida M, Ninomiya T, Hirooka M, Abe M, Matsuura B, Hiasa Y, Kino T, Yamamoto K, Michitaka K. Hepatol. Res. 2019; 49(7): 823-829.

Affiliation

Gastroenterology Center, Ehime Prefectural Central Hospital, Matsuyama, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/hepr.13322

PMID

30770617

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIM: Falling is known to be associated with cognitive function. We evaluated the relationship between muscle function and falls in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). MATERIALS/METHODS: We enrolled 100 sequential CLD patients without dementia who were admitted to our institution for scheduled treatment from July 2017 to May 2018 [71.0±10.2 years and 76 males]. All subjects were self-reliant in regard to activities of daily living. Upon admission, handgrip strength was determined and falls within 1 month of admission were noted. For determining handgrip strength decline (HSD), previously reported values were used (males: <26 kg, females: <18 kg). The relationship between HSD and falls in CLD patients was evaluated in a retrospective manner.

RESULTS: Thirty-two had chronic hepatitis (CH), while 49 had liver cirrhosis (LC) Child-Pugh A, 17 had LC Child-Pugh B, and 2 had LC Child-Pugh C. Twelve (12.0%) had a history of falling, including 8 (26.7%) of 30 with and 4 (5.7%) of 70 without HSD (P=0.006). The cut-off value for age in relationship to falling was 69.0 years old (AUC 0.668, 95% CI: 0.514-0.821). A fall during hospitalization was noted more often in patients with a history of falling than in those without [16.7% (2/12) vs. 2.3% (2/88), P=0.018].

CONCLUSION: In CLD patients, the presence of HSD and older age may be independent risk factors for predicting a fall. Assessment of handgrip strength may be an effective clinical tool for easily assessing the risk of falling, especially in elderly CLD patients.

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Language: en