%0 Journal Article
%T Likelihood of sustaining an injury in the setting of multiple falls
%J Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
%D 2019
%A Gill, Thomas M.
%A Williams, Christianna S.
%V 67
%N 1
%P 119-123
%X OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between number of falls and risk of injury after a specific fall. <br><br>DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Greater New Haven, Connecticut. PARTICIPANTS: Probability sample of 1,103 community-living persons aged 72 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Falls and fall-related injuries were ascertained monthly for 3 years using a fall calendar and follow-up telephone interviews. <br><br>RESULTS: Of 606 participants with a fall, 164 (27.0%) had at least 1 fall with a serious injury, and 455 (75.1%) had at least 1 fall with any injury; mean number of falls was 2.6±2.3 (range 1-18), of falls with serious injury was 0.3±0.6 (range 0-4), and of falls with any injury was 1.4±1.4 (range 0-9). On a per-participant basis, risk of serious injury and any injury increased progressively as the number of falls increased (P <.001). On a per-fall basis, risk of serious injury and any injury increased from 1 to 2 falls but then decreased from 2 to 3 or 4 falls and from 3 or 4 to 5 or more falls, although these differences were not statistically significant. The results were consistent for women and men and for analyses that evaluated the proportion of falls with injuries. <br><br>CONCLUSION: In community-living older persons, risk of injury from a specific fall did not differ as the number of falls increased. Falls appear to operate independently in terms of conferring risk of injury in the setting of multiple falls.<br><br>© 2018, Copyright the Author Journal compilation © 2018, The American Geriatrics Society.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I John Wiley and Sons
%@ 0002-8614
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15639