ArticleDrugs & aging2014
Medication-related fall incidents in an older, ambulant population: the B-PROOF study.
Article in Drugs & aging, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 87 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of statins on falls and physical activity in people aged 65 and older: A systematic review.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of the Association Between Anti-Hypertensive Classes and the Risk of Falls Among Older Adults.Drugs & aging · 2018Pooled it
- Beta-blocker use and fall risk in older individuals: Original results from two studies with meta-analysis.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2017Pooled it
- Trial
- Comparing Fourteen Behavioral Science Electronic Health Record Deprescribing Tools in Older Adults: NUDGE-EHR Adaptive Trial.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2025Trial
- Association of fall risk-increasing drugs with falls in generally healthy older adults: a 3-year prospective observational study of the DO-HEALTH trial.BMC geriatrics · 2024Trial
- A randomized controlled trial to evaluate innovative decision support in the context of fall prevention.NPJ digital medicine · 2025Article
- Preadmission medications and recent falls in older inpatients: an observational study.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2025Observational
- Associations between sex, race/ethnicity, and age and the initiation of chronic high-risk medication in US older adults.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2024Article
- The association between medication use and health-related quality of life in multimorbid older patients with polypharmacy.European geriatric medicine · 2024Article
- Sex differences of fall-risk-increasing drugs in the middle-aged and elderly: a descriptive, cross-sectional study of FDA adverse event reporting system.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Factors associated with fall risk increasing drug use in older black and white men and women: the Health ABC Study.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- The role of plasma concentrations and drug characteristics of beta-blockers in fall risk of older persons.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2023Article
- Medications influencing the risk of fall-related injuries in older adults: case-control and case-crossover design studies.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Associations between polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications with risk of falls among the elderly in Saudi Arabia.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Theoretically derived interventions aimed at improving appropriate polypharmacy in primary care: A systematic review.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2022Review
- Community-Based Support and Social Services and Their Association with Frailty Factors in Older People with Intellectual Disability and Affective and Anxiety Disorders: A Swedish National Population-Based Register Study.Community mental health journal · 2022Article
- Predictors of poor medication adherence of older people with hypertension.Nursing open · 2022Article
- Candidate genetic variants and antidepressant-related fall risk in middle-aged and older adults.PloS one · 2022Article
- Research on Beers Criteria and STOPP/START Criteria based on the FDA FAERS database.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
17 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedication use is a potentially modifiable risk factor for falling; psychotropic and cardiovascular drugs have been indicated as main drug groups that increase fall risk. However, evidence is mainly based on studies that recorded falls retrospectively and/or did not determine medication use at the time of the fall. Therefore, we investigated the associations indicated in the literature between medication use and falls, using prospectively recorded falls and medication use determined at the time of the fall.
methodsData from the B-PROOF (B-vitamins for the prevention of osteoporotic fractures) study were used, concerning community-dwelling elderly aged ≥65 years. We included 2,407 participants with pharmacy dispensing records. During the 2- to 3-year follow-up, participants recorded falls using a fall calendar. Cox proportional hazard models were applied, adjusting for potential confounders including age, sex, health status variables and concomitant medication use.
resultsDuring follow-up, 1,147 participants experienced at least one fall. Users of anti-arrhythmic medication had an increased fall risk (hazard ratio [HR] 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-2.32) compared with non-users. Similarly, non-selective beta-blocker use was associated with an increased fall risk (HR 1.41 [95% CI 1.12-1.78]), while statin use was associated with a lower risk (HR 0.81 [95% CI 0.71-0.94]). Benzodiazepine use (HR 1.32 [95% CI 1.02-1.71]), and antidepressant use (HR 1.40 [95% CI 1.07-1.82]) were associated with an increased fall risk. Use of other cardiovascular and psychotropic medication was not associated with fall risk.
conclusionOur results strengthen the evidence for an increased fall risk in community-dwelling elderly during the use of anti-arrhythmics, non-selective beta-blockers, benzodiazepines, and antidepressant medication. Clinicians should prescribe these drugs cautiously and if possible choose safer alternatives for older patients.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.