Prediction of Falls and/or Near Falls in XXXX with Mild Parkinson's Disease.

@entity1 @entity1726 @entity910 @entity158
OBJECTIVE: To determine factors associated with future falls and/or near falls in @entity1 with mild @entity1726 . METHODS: The study included 141 @entity1 with @entity1726 . Mean (SD) age and @entity1726 -duration were 68 (9.7) and 4 years (3.9), respectively. Their median (q1-q3) UPDRS III score was 13 (8-18). Those >80 years of age, requiring support in standing or unable to understand instructions were excluded. Self-administered questionnaires targeted freezing of gait, turning hesitations, walking difficulties in daily life, fatigue, fear of falling, independence in activities of daily living, @entity910 , demographics, falls/near falls history, balance problems while dual tasking and @entity158 . Clinical assessments addressed functional balance performance, retropulsion, comfortable gait speed, motor symptoms and cognition. All falls and near falls were subsequently registered in a diary during a six-month period. Risk factors for prospective falls and/or near falls were determined using logistic regression. RESULTS: Sixty-three @entity1 (45%) experienced >= 1 fall and/or near fall. Three factors were independent predictors of falls and/or near falls: fear of falling (OR = 1.032, p<0.001) history of near falls (OR = 3.475, p = 0.009) and retropulsion (OR = 2.813, p = 0.035). The strongest contributing factor was fear of falling, followed by a history of near falls and retropulsion. CONCLUSIONS: Fear of falling seems to be an important issue to address already in mild @entity1726 as well as asking about prior near falls.
