Journal article
Falls by individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A preliminary 12-month prospective cohort study
CC Oliveira, AL Lee, J McGinley, M Thompson, LB Irving, GP Anderson, RA Clark, S Clarke, L Denehy
Respirology | Published : 2015
DOI: 10.1111/resp.12600
Abstract
Background and objective Despite evidence of an increased fall risk in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), there is a paucity of prospective fall data in this population. This preliminary study aimed to prospectively examine the prevalence rate, incidence rate and associated risk factors for falls in a sample of community-dwelling people with COPD over 1 year. Methods Forty-one participants with stable COPD (mean ± SD) aged 71 ± 8 years with a forced expiratory volume in 1 s of 45.1 ± 16.2% predicted were included. At baseline, participants' demographic, physical function and fall-related measures were documented. Falls were monitored for 12 months following initial ass..
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Funding Acknowledgements
The authors thank the participating patients and their families for their generous time, the invaluable contribution of Ms Tamara Baker (The Royal Melbourne Hospital) for assistance during data collection, and The National Ageing Research Institute LTD, Australia, for approving the use of the Falls Risk for Older People-Community setting questionnaire. C.C. Oliveira is supported by the Melbourne International Research and Fee Remission PhD scholarships.