Psychoactive drug use and falls among community-dwelling Turkish older people

Data on the relationship between fall and psychoactive drug use among Turkish older people are limited. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of falls and the associations between psychoactive drug use and falls in community-dwelling Turkish older people.

This single center study was performed using the medical records of subjects aged over 65 years admitted to the geriatric care unit. Demographic and lifestyle factors, clinical characteristics, medications, and data on mood, cognitive status, and functional performance were obtained from the comprehensive geriatric assessment records. Based on a fall history in the last 12 months, subjects were grouped as fallers and non-fallers. Subjects treated with a psychoactive drug were identified.

Among the total of 429 subjects, there were 184 (42.9%) fallers and 245 (57.1%) non-fallers. Of those, 33.3% were on psychoactive drug treatment. The proportion of psychoactive drug users was higher in the fallers group compared to non-fallers (45.1% vs. 24.5%, p<0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed age ≥75 years (OR=1.83;CI: 1.09-3.09; p=0.023), female gender (OR=2.70;CI: 1.6-4.50; p<0.001), and psychoactive drug use (OR=2.14;CI 1.32-3.48; p=0.002) as independent predictors of falls.

We found that about one-third of geriatric outpatients were on psychoactive drug treatment in Turkey that was independently associated with the risk of falls.