Likelihood of Fall and Related Injuries Rise with Common Medicines in People with COPD: Study Finds
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People with COPD experience more falls and related injuries requiring medical care when using common fall-risk-increasing drugs, according to a new study. The study is published in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.
Previous research has shown that people with COPD have a higher risk of falling due to increased frailty, impaired gait, and the tripping hazard of oxygen tubing. They also commonly experience pain, anxiety, insomnia, and other comorbidities, such as diabetes or hypertension. Opioids, benzodiazepines and other medications used to treat these comorbidities and symptoms can increase a person’s risk of falling and fall-related injuries.
The study examined data from a single health system linked to Washington State death certificates of adults 40 or older with COPD who died between 2014 and 2018. Of the 8,204 people, 65% were prescribed at least one fall-risk-increasing drug, and 30% had a fall with injury in the two years before their death.
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