Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32590946›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2020

Association between chronic diseases and falls among a sample of older people in Finland.

Milla Immonen, Marianne Haapea, Heidi Similä, Heidi Enwald, Niina Keränen, Maarit Kangas, Timo Jämsä, Raija Korpelainen

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC geriatrics, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
46citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
17.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

46 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 82 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Observational
  8. Article
  9. Introducing FREMArchives of osteoporosis · 2025
    Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Milla ImmonenVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. Kaitoväylä 1, P.O.Box 1100, FI-90571, Oulu, Finland. milla.immonen@vtt.fi.ORCID 0000-0002-1128-119X
Marianne HaapeaCenter for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland.
Heidi SimiläVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. Kaitoväylä 1, P.O.Box 1100, FI-90571, Oulu, Finland.
Heidi EnwaldMedical Research Centre Oulu (MRC), Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland.
Niina KeränenResearch Unit of Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland.
Maarit KangasResearch Unit of Medical Imaging, Physics and Technology, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland.
Timo JämsäDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, Kajaanintie 50, FI-90220, Oulu, Finland.
Raija KorpelainenCenter for Life Course Health Research, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, FI-90014, Oulu, Finland.
Oulu University Hospital · FIUniversity of Oulu · FIVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFalls are a major problem for older people and recurrent fallers are especially prone to severe consequences due to falls. This study investigated the association between chronic conditions and falls.

methodsResponses from 872 older persons (age 65-98) to a health questionnaire were used in the analyses. Characteristics and disease prevalence between recurrent fallers, one-time fallers and non-fallers were compared. A hierarchical clustering method was applied to find combinations of chronic conditions that were associated with recent recurrent falling.

resultsThe results showed that recurrent fallers had a higher number of diseases (median 4, interquartile range, IQR = 2.0-5.0) compared to non-fallers (median 2, IQR = 1.0-3.0). Eight clusters were formed based on the data. The participants in the low chronic disease cluster were younger, more physically active, not frail, and had fewer geriatric conditions. Multiple chronic disease cluster participants were older, less physically active, overweight (body mass index, BMI > 30), at risk of malnutrition, and had more geriatric conditions. Significantly increased risk of recurrent falls relative to the low chronic cluster was found for respondents in the osteoporosis cluster and multiple chronic disease cluster (OR = 5.65, 95% confidence interval CI: 1.23-25.85, p = 0.026, and OR = 13.42, 95% CI: 2.47-72.96, p = 0.002, respectively). None of the clusters were associated with increased risk of one-time falling.

conclusionsThe results implicate that the number of chronic diseases is related with risk of recurrent falling. Furthermore, the results implicate the potential of identifying certain combinations of chronic diseases that increase fall risk by analyzing health record data, although further studies are needed with a larger population sample.

Indexed as

Accidental FallsAgedAged, 80 and overChronic DiseaseFinlandHumansRecurrenceRisk FactorsSurveys and QuestionnairesAgingChronic diseasesFall riskFallsGeriatricsGerontologyOlder adultsRecurrent falls

Identifiers

PMID32590946
PMCPMC7318483
OpenAlexW3037288206

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.