Association between arteriosclerosis and the risk of falls in the elderly

Objective: To study the risk factors of falls in the elderly and explore the correlation between arteriosclerosis and the risk of falls in the elderly. Method: This is a cross-sectional study. The subjects were inpatients ≥ 60 years old in the cadre ward of the first hospital of Jilin University from May 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020. The following information was obtained from the past comprehensive geriatric assessment database of the cadre ward. Ankle brachial index (ABI) and ankle brachial pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were measured by OMRON arteriosclerosis detection device. We assessed according to the internationally used fall risk assessment tool (FRA), ≤ 2 points are divided into low-risk group, 3 - 9 points are divided into medium-risk group, and ≥ 10 points are divided into high-risk group. Results: There were significant differences among the three groups in age, weight, educational background, low gait speed, cognitive impairment, malnutrition, ability of daily living, depression (P < 0.05). The baPWV and ABI were higher in high-risk group than in low-risk group; The baPWV in high-risk group was higher than that in medium risk group and low-risk group. For each additional unit of baPWV, the probability of the fall risk increasing by one level is 1.701 times higher than the original (OR= 1.701, 95%CI: 0.533-11.822, P= 0.001). For each additional unit of ABI, the probability of the fall risk increasing by one level is 1.976 times higher than the original (OR= 1.976, 95%CI: 1.213-3.219, P= 0.006). Conclusion: The increase of baPWV and the decrease of ABI are closely related to the increased risk of falls in the elderly.