Factors associated with falls in frail older persons—a case control study in Brazil

Method This is a case-control study paired by sex and age, with the cases defined as frail older persons with self-reported falls in the last year and controls as frail older persons with no fall report. Odds ratio (OR) was analyzed by means of conditional logistic regression, with a 95% confidence interval. Main outcome measure : The occurrence of falls in frail older persons is associated with the following clinical and pharmacoepidemiological factors: urinary incontinence and polypharmacy. Results The sample consisted of 1028 older persons, 514 in the case group and 514 in the control group. The prevalence of falls was 26.5%. The frequency of polypharmacy, use of drugs inappropriate according to Beers’ criteria and drugs that increase the risk of falls were 58%, 85% and 87%. The frequency of drugs with anticholinergic properties ranged from 12 to 65% according to the type of scale used. It was observed that the fall is associated with urinary incontinence (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.28–2.34) and use of five or more medications (OR 1.68, 95% CI, 1.30–2.17). Conclusions With this research, is possible to conclude that falling in the frail older persons is associated with the use of five or more drugs and the presence of urinary incontinence.