Patients with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of falls: Study
Falls are a major cause of morbidity and the second leading cause of injury fatalities worldwide. A recent study suggests risk of falls in individuals with type 2 diabetes are higher and associated with increased postural instability, lower walking capacity and slower sit-to-stand movements. The research has been published in the journal Diabetic Medicine on December 01, 2020.
Individuals with diabetes are at increased risk of falling, and this risk may be even higher when diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) is present. Studies assessing falling in type 2 diabetes have been limited by not including validated, quantitative methods with multifactorial assessments of risk factors for falling or have not allowed evaluation of the impact of DPN and diabetes per se. To fill the knowledge gap, a research team conducted a study to estimate the incidence of falls in individuals with type 2 diabetes compared to healthy controls and to describe the characteristics of fallers with type 2 diabetes in relation to motor dysfunction, postural instability and diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN).
It was a cross-sectional comparative study in 131 individuals with type 2 diabetes with DPN (n = 54), without DPN (n = 38) and healthy controls (n = 39). Researchers recorded the falls within the preceding year. They used clinical scores and nerve conduction studies to determine DPN. They assessed the motor function using a 6‐min walk test (6 MWT), five‐time sit‐to‐stand test (FTSST) and isokinetic dynamometry at the non‐dominant ankle and knee. They measured the instability index (ST) using static posturography and used Univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics for comparing the groups.
Upon analysis, researchers noted that individuals with diabetes had a higher incidence of falls 36%, (n = 33) when compared with healthy adults 15%, (n = 6). However, they noted no differences in falls when comparing individuals with and without DPN. They found that fallers had an impaired 6 MWT when compared with non‐fallers (450 ± 153 m vs 523 ± 97 m respectively), and a slower FTSST (11.9 ± 4.2 s vs 10.3 ± 2.9 s respectively) with a higher ST (53 ± 29 vs 41 ± 17 respectively).
The authors concluded, "Individuals with type 2 diabetes reported a higher number of falls within the preceding year compared to healthy controls, irrespective of the presence of DPN. The main factors associated with falls were increased postural instability, lower walking capacity and slower sit‐to‐stand movements."
They further added, "The 6 MWT, FTSST and posturography should be considered in future screening programs in identification of individuals at risk for falls".
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