Association of falls, fear of falling, handgrip strength and gait speed with frailty levels in the community elderly

Introduction: The Frailty Syndrome is not synonymous with disability, but may be a precursor of etiological and physiological dysfunction, which affects mobility before causing reduced functional capacity, explaining conditions of weakness, weight loss, and abnormal gait. Study design: This is an an...

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Veröffentlicht in:Medicina (Sao Paulo. 197?) 2015-12, Vol.48 (6), p.549-556
Hauptverfasser: Silveira, Tatiana, Pegorari, Maycon S., Castro, Shamyr S. de, Ruas, Gualberto, Novais-Shimano, Suraya G., Patrizzi, Lislei J.
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Introduction: The Frailty Syndrome is not synonymous with disability, but may be a precursor of etiological and physiological dysfunction, which affects mobility before causing reduced functional capacity, explaining conditions of weakness, weight loss, and abnormal gait. Study design: This is an analytical, observational, cross-sectional study. Objective: To verify the association of handgrip strength, gait speed, fear of falling, and falls with the level of frailty. Methods: Study consisting of 54 participants, aged 65 and older, enrolled in a health care and monitoring government program in the municipality of Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The volunteers were assessed for frailty, – non-frail group (NG), pre-frail group (PG), and frail group (FG) – according to the Fried criteria, and based on the outcomes of handgrip strength, gait speed, fear of falling, and falls. An inferential descriptive statistical analysis followed, with Chi-square and KruskallWallis tests performed by the Stata11.0 software. Results: In the comparative analysis between the groups studied there was statistical significance relative to handgrip strength (FG and NG), gait speed (NG and FG / NG and PG), and fear of falling (NG and FG). There was no significant difference between the levels of frailty and falls. Conclusions: Frailty is associated with reduced muscle strength, decreased gait speed, and greater fear of falling in elderly people of the community
ISSN:0076-6046
2176-7262
DOI:10.11606/issn.2176-7262.v48i6p549-556