Introduction: Falls represent one of the main health risks in the lives of older people. The objective of this research was to estimate the effects of recurrent accidental falls on the general mortality of people 60 years and older.
Materials and method: A longitudinal analysis was conducted with available data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study 2001 - 2018. The recurrence of falls was evaluated, categorized as 1, 2 or 3 and more falls in the baseline interview. Mortality was estimated relying on Cox proportional hazards models, deducting a set of varia¬bles associated with the presence of falls.
Results: Compared with people without reported falls, a higher risk of mortality was observed among those who reported one or two and more falls, although only the unadjusted estimate was significant, while the highest risk of death was estimated among those who reported three or more falls even adjusting for sociodemographic and health variables.
Discussion: Recurrent falls increase the risk of mortality among elderly people. The development of programs for the prevention and treatment of complications derived from falls in older adults is suggested.
Lozano-Keymolen, D. (2021). Risk of mortality associated with falls in the elderly people: Mexico, 2001 – 2018. Revista Chilena De Salud Pública, 25(1), p. 28–40. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-5281.2021.65189
