Takayoshi Yamada^1,, Shinichi Demura², Shunsuke Yamaji³

The elderly with more fall risk factors might have high fall incidence. This study examined the relationships between fall risk factors among the elderly living in community dwellings and the extent of fall-related injuries. We used fall risk questionnaire given by Demura et al. (2011) to analyze 1,265 elderly individuals who experienced falls in the past year. We examined fall-related injuries, extent of injuries, and fall characteristics (fall cause and direction), noting the associated high risk factors in each case. We defined risk groups 0, 1, 2, and 3 based on the number of risk factors—0, 1, 2, and 3 or 4, respectively. The fall rate was significantly higher in groups with more risk factors. The rate of injuries, except for fractures, in each fall risk group was 68.4, 61.5, 58.7, and 60.4%, and the rate of fracture was 10.5, 12.8, 6.5, and 9.7%. There was no correlation between injuries or fracture rates and the number of fall risk factors. Injures happened most frequently after forward falls caused by tripping. However, no association between fracture and fall characteristics was observed. The risk of injuries (approximately 60% in all groups) or severe injuries (fracture; about 10%) after a fall might not be related to the number of fall risks. We observed that a certain tendency is not observed in fall characteristics with fractures. Injuries (except for fractures) mainly occurred after forward falls caused by tripping.

fall cause, fracture, fall risk