E095 Rheumatoid disease status and risk for future falls among older adults: a retrospective cohort study

Background/Aims Falls among older adults are a global health concern. Individuals with rheumatoid disease are at increased risk of falling compared to those without rheumatic disease due to rheumatic disease-related impairments. This study aims to examine the associations between rheumatic disease status and future falls among older adults and to identify potential mediators in this relationship. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study using the RAND Indonesian Family Life Survey wave 4 (2007-2008) and wave 5 (2014-2015). We included 576 older adults aged 50 years or above who had complete information on demographic and health profiles in wave 4 and the number of falls in the past two years in wave 5. Comorbidity is defined as the occurrence of rheumatic disease with other chronic diseases, namely hypertension, diabetes, asthma, heart-related diseases, and stroke. Prescribed medication use is defined as the total number of prescribed medications taken on a weekly basis for their chronic conditions. We used Poisson regression in the age-and-gender-adjusted model. We then added comorbidity and prescribed medication use in the model, respectively, to examine the possibility of these factors mediating the association between rheumatic disease status and the number of falls. In the fully adjusted model, all variables were mutually adjusted. Results The prevalence of rheumatic disease at the baseline was 17.2%. The average number of falls from 2012 to 2015 among our sample was 1.9. 30% reported ≥ 1 chronic condition, and 29% reported the use of at least one prescribed medication for treating their chronic conditions on a weekly basis, including medication to treat rheumatic disease. In the basic adjusted model, rheumatic disease status was associated with a 24% increased rate of future falls. In this study, we found that prescribed medication use, not comorbidity, may mediate the association between rheumatic disease status and falls among older adults. In the fully adjusted model, there was no significant relationship observed. Conclusion Fall awareness and prevention among older adults with rheumatic disease should consider the use of prescribed medication for more effective strategies. Future studies that take into account the influences of prescribed medication use in the associations between rheumatic disease and falls among older adults are recommended.