Infection may cause falls, especially in older people

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/idso-tub100615.php

Public Release: 9-Oct-2015
Tripped up by a bug: Infection may cause falls, especially in older people, study suggests
Infectious Diseases Society of America

People who end up in the emergency room because of a fall often are tripped up by an infection, rather than a loose throw rug or poor eyesight, suggests a study being presented at IDWeek 2015™.

Bloodstream, urinary and respiratory infections are the most common culprits for infection-related falls, according to the Massachusetts General Hospital study. The findings also suggest that while these falls may be more common in the elderly, they shouldn't be overlooked in younger people: 20 percent of patients in the study were younger than 65.

"Over the years I've been struck by the fact that some of the more serious infections I treated were in people who came to the hospital because they fell," said Farrin A. Manian, MD, MPH, principle investigator of the study, a clinician educator in the Division of General Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a visiting associate professor at Harvard Medical School. "Even though many of the patients had vague early signs of an infection, such as weakness, or lethargy, it was the fall that brought them in."

Although it's unclear how many falls are caused by infection overall - other research puts the number between 20 and 45 percent - it's clear that many people, including family members, caregivers and even some healthcare providers, don't recognize the connection. People can fall because the infection may cause low blood pressure - and therefore lightheadedness and dizziness - or because it adds to confusion in older patients with dementia, according to the researchers.
[Or inner ear congestion.]

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