Biology of Falls: Preliminary Cohort Study Suggesting a Possible Role for Oxidative Stress

• Autores: Joe Verghese, Emmeline Ayers
• Localización: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, ISSN 0002-8614, Vol. 65, Nº. 6, 1, 2017, págs. 1306-1309
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Background Biological underpinnings of falls in older adults are not well established.

    Objectives To examine the validity of selected oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers for predicting incident falls in community-dwelling older adults.

    Design Prospective cohort study.

    Setting And Participants 266 non-demented and ambulatory community-dwelling older adults (mean age 78 years, 55% women).

    Measurements Oxidative stress (malondialdehyde) and inflammatory (interleukin-6 [IL-6]) biomarkers were selected based on associations with fall risk factors, and values were log-transformed to account for non-normal distributions.

    Results Over a mean follow-up of 20.5 ± 10.1 months, 119 participants fell. In Cox proportional hazards models, each one standard deviation increase in baseline log-malondialdehyde levels predicted incident falls (Hazard ratio (HR) adjusted for age, gender, education, comorbidity count, medications, log-IL-6 levels, prior falls, depressive symptoms, cognitive status, gait velocity, and balance 1.53, 95% CI 1.11–2.16). Log-IL-6 levels were not associated with falls. Participants in the highest log-malondialdehyde quartile at baseline had increased risk for incident falls than those in the lowest quartile (HR 2.47, 95% CI 1.41–4.34).

    Conclusion Oxidative stress predicted falls in a community-based cohort, and should be further examined as a fall risk biomarker as well as a potential target to prevent falls.