Are Nocturia and Falls Associated? A Secondary Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Urology
• Public Health

Background:

• Nocturia, or nighttime urination, is a common concern in older adults.
• Falls are a leading cause of injury-related death in the elderly population.
• The independent impact of nocturia on falls and subsequent injuries requires further investigation, especially when considering other contributing risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between nocturia episodes and the occurrence of falls.
• To evaluate the relationship between nocturia and subsequent injury or injury severity.
• To determine if nocturia is an independent risk factor for falls and injuries in older adults, controlling for other conditions.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of participants from the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Network study.
• Exclusion of participants with a history of falls to isolate new fall events.
• Utilized Bayesian logistic and ordinal regression models to assess associations, adjusting for arthritis, gait instability, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Main Results:

• Among 121 participants, 21.5% experienced at least one fall.
• Nocturia episodes demonstrated a low probability of association with falls (0.16 probability, aOR: 0.9).
• Arthritis, gait instability, and OSA showed high probabilities of association with falls (0.99-1.0 probability).
• Nocturia had low probabilities of association with injury (0.05) and injury severity (0.10).

Conclusions:

• Nocturia episodes have a low probability of association with falls and injuries when other risk factors are considered.
• Fall reduction strategies in patients experiencing nocturia should focus on other significant risk factors.
• Gait instability, arthritis, and OSA are more strongly associated with falls than nocturia itself in this cohort.