Petra Benzinger

Risk for femoral fractures in Parkinson's disease patients with and without severe functional impairment.

Background Impaired balance is a major problem in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) resulting in an increased risk of falls and fall-related fractures. Most studies which analyzed the risk of femoral fractures in patients with idiopathic PD were performed either in specialized centers or excluded very frail patients. The current study used a large population-based dataset in order to analyze the risk of femoral fractures in patients with idiopathic PD. Methods Data from more than 880.000 individuals aged 65 years or older and insured between 2004 and 2009 at a large German health insurance company were used for the analyses. Persons with idiopathic PD were identified by the dispensing of Parkinson-specific medication and by hospital diagnoses, if available. People without PD served as the reference group. Incident femoral fractures were obtained from hospital diagnoses. Analyses were stratified by gender and information on severe functional impairment (care need) as provided by reimbursement claims. Results Compared with the reference group, persons with idiopathic PD had a more than doubled risk to sustain a femoral fracture. The risk was higher in men (HR = 2.61; 95%-CI: 2.28–2.98) than in women (HR = 1.79; 95%-CI: 1.66–1.94). The increased risk was only observed in people without severe functional impairment. The sensitivity analysis using a refined definition of idiopathic PD patients yielded similar results. Conclusion The findings confirm the increased risk of femoral fractures in patients with idiopathic PD. The relative risk is particularly high in male PD patients and in patients without severe functional impairment.

Pelvic fracture rates in community-living people with and without disability and in residents of nursing homes.

OBJECTIVES There are limited data on the epidemiology of pelvic fractures. The purpose of this study was to calculate incidence rates of pelvic fractures leading to hospital admission and to compare incidence rates between residents of nursing homes and community-dwelling persons with and without care need. METHODS Data were retrieved from a database of the largest health insurance company in Bavaria, Germany. Between 2004 and 2009, 10,170 pelvic fractures were observed in 751,101 women and 491,098 men. Age- and gender-specific incidence rates were calculated. Incidence rates were further stratified by setting (nursing home versus community) and functional status (no care need versus care need for those in the community). In addition, the average cumulative risk for a pelvic fracture at different ages was calculated. RESULTS The incidence rate increased from 0.54 and 0.38 per 1000 person-years in women and men aged 65 to 69 years to 9.35 and 4.45 per 1000 person-years in women and men aged 90 years and older, respectively. Persons living in a nursing home or living at home with care need had considerably higher incidence rates than community-dwelling older persons without care need. The average cumulative risk at the age of 65 years for an incident pelvic fracture until the age of 90 years was 6.9% in women and 2.8% in men. CONCLUSION The incidence of pelvic fractures leading to hospital admission is higher in women than in men and rises dramatically with increasing age. Persons with care need have a particularly high risk for pelvic fracture.

Physical activity of moderately impaired elderly stroke patients during rehabilitation.

In older adults, physical activity (PA) is promoted for public health preventive effort. It is also a major target in the rehabilitation process. Existing assessment tools in the clinical routine do not include any aspects of PA or participation and are often prone to floor or ceiling effects. The aim of this study was to document the process of rehabilitation by activity monitoring without floor or ceiling effects. Ninety-two stroke patients of a geriatric rehabilitation unit (mean age 82 years, ±6.21 years, 61% women) were included in an observational study to assess physical capacity (balance, chair rise, gait speed) and PA at admission and two weeks thereafter. PA was measured through an ambulatory activity monitor based on accelerometers and gyroscopes and showed no floor or ceiling effects. Floor effects were however documented for measures of physical capacity (admission 5-11%; follow-up 2-9%) and ceiling effects were registered for the balance test (admission 17.4%; follow-up 22.8%). Improvements were documented for measures of physical capacity as well as for PA (all p < 0.001). We conclude that the assessment of PA by activity monitoring is a valuable measure to document objectively the process of rehabilitation without floor or ceiling effects.

A population-based intervention for the prevention of falls and fractures in home dwelling people 65 years and older in South Germany: protocol

Background Falls and fall-related injuries pose a major threat to older peoples’ health, and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In the course of demographic changes, development and implementation of fall prevention strategies have been recognized as an urgent public health challenge. Various risk factors for falls and a number of effective interventions have been recognized. A substantial proportion of falls occur for people who are neither frail nor at high risk. Therefore, population-based approaches reaching the entire older population are needed. Objective The objective of the study presented is the development, implementation, and evaluation of a population-based intervention for the prevention of falls and fall-related injuries in a medium sized city in Germany. Methods The study is designed as a population-based approach. The intervention community is a mid sized city named Reutlingen in southern Germany with a population of 112,700 people. All community dwelling inhabitants 65 years and older are addressed. There are two main measures that are defined: (1) increase of overall physical activity, and (2) reduction of modifiable risk factors for falls such as deficits in strength and balance, home and environmental hazards, impaired vision, unsafe footwear, and improper use of assistive devices. The implementation strategies are developed in a participatory community planning process. These might include, for example, training of professionals and volunteers, improved availability of exercise classes, and education and raising awareness via newspaper, radio, or lectures. Results The study starts in September 2010 and ends in December 2013. It is evaluated primarily by process evaluation as well as by telephone survey. Conclusions Physical activity as a key message entails multiple positive effects with benefits on a range of geriatric symptoms. The strength of the design is the development of implementation strategies in a participatory community planning. The problems that we anticipate are the dependency on the stakeholders’ willingness to participate, and the difficulty of evaluating population-based programs by hard end points.

Physical performance and daily walking duration: associations in 1271 women and men aged 65–90 years

Background and aims: Several tests of physical performance like gait speed or standing balance are part of the geriatric assessment. Measures of physical activity like daily walking duration are more difficult to assess but may be of higher relevance for daily requirements. It is therefore of interest to what extent physical performance measures are associated with physical activity. Methods: In a cohort study, baseline screening was performed in 1271 community-living people aged 65–90 years from Ulm, Germany. Average daily walking duration was assessed in all participants by accelerometers over a one-week period. Habitual gait speed, 5-Chair-Rise test, standing balance and handgrip strength served as measures of physical performance. The association between measures of physical performance and physical activity was calculated by linear regression analysis. Results: The mean daily walking duration was 104. 8 minutes in men and 103.0 minutes in women. A positive relationship between gait speed and walking duration was observed in men and women with low gait speed (≦0.8 m/s) but not in participants above this threshold. Standing balance and hand grip strength were positively and 5-Chair-Rise test inversely related with average daily walking duration. A relationship between hand grip strength and walking duration was only observed in women aged 75 years and more. Conclusions: Physical performance measures and objectively measured walking duration are related with each other but only a small percentage of the variance of daily walking duration was explained by physical performance measures. Therefore, factors other than physical performance seem to influence daily walking duration to a great extent.

Depressive symptoms and fear of falling in previously community-dwelling older persons recovering from proximal femoral fracture

Background and aims: Depression and fear of falling are common problems following proximal femoral fracture. The role of fear of falling in depressive symptoms after such a fracture has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to establish possible changes during recovery in fear of falling and depressive symptoms following rehabilitation in this population and to explore their association. Methods: Observational study with pre-post design at a single geriatric rehabilitation hospital in Germany. Data were collected during in-hospital rehabilitation and four months later at participants’ home. The data of 51 participants living in the community at the time of fracture could be analysed. Main measures: Fear of falling, depressive symptoms, cognition, pain, ADL functioning, and physical performance. Results: Although physical and ADL performance improved between admission to rehabilitation and follow-up four months later, the prevalence of depressive symptoms increased, and levels of fear of falling remained at the same level. There was a significant correlation between fear of falling and depressive symptoms at follow-up, but the two were not significantly correlated at baseline. Fear of falling and depressive symptoms were not significantly associated in a path analysis model. Conclusions: Fear of falling and depressive symptoms are highly prevalent after proximal femoral fracture. Yet there seems to be no simple association between either psychological parameter in older persons recovering from fall-related fractures. Further research is warranted, in order to develop interventions targeting these psychological outcomes.