Fall-related injury among people with arthritis, a concern among different age groups!

Abstract

Background and objectives: The association between arthritis and falls has been study mainly in older adults, and information about fall-related injuries and arthritis in younger population is scarce. In addition, there is a gap of knowledge about the activities and types of injury associated with falls among people with arthritis in different age groups. The aims of the study were: 1) to explore the association between arthritis and fall-related injury among different age groups, and 2) to compare the main activity associated with fall-related injury and the type of injury resulted from falls between age groups in people with arthritis.

Methods: This study used aggregated data from the Canadian Community Health Survey for the years 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009/2010 and 2013/2014.

Results: People with arthritis were significantly more likely to report fall-related injuries than people without arthritis across all age groups. Younger people (12-19 years) were over six times more likely to fall when practicing sports, whereas all adults were more likely to slip/trip/stumble while walking. As a result of the falls, older adults (65 and over) were more likely to have broken bones and other kind of injuries (i.e., bruises, cuts, etc.), while all younger age groups reported more strains/sprains.

Conclusion: Fall-related injury is a concern across all age groups in people with arthritis, and not only among older adults. In addition, the activities performed when the fall occurred and the type of injuries resulted from the falls were different between age groups. These findings contribute to reduce the gap of knowledge about fall-related injuries among people with arthritis in different age groups.