Article

OBJECTIVE: To assess the likelihood of clinical tests for postural balance,
walking and motor skills, performed during the first week after stroke,
identifying the risk of falling. Prospective study.
SUBJECTS: Patients
with first stroke. METHODS: Assessments were carried out during the first week,
and the occurrence of falls was recorded 3, 6 and 12 months after stroke onset.
The tests used were: 10-Metre Walking Test (10MWT), Timed Up & Go, Swedish
Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients, Berg Balance Scale and Modified
Motor Assessment Scale. Cut-off levels were obtained by receiver operation
characteristic curves, and odds ratios were used to assess cut-off levels for
falling. RESULTS: The analyses were based on 96 patients.
Forty-eight percent had
at least one fall during the first year. All tests were associated with the risk
of falling. The highest predictive values were found for the 10MWT (positive
predictive value 64%, negative predictive value 76%).
Those subjects who were
unable to perform the 10MWT had the highest odds ratio, 6.06 (95% confidence
interval 2.66-13.84, p<0.001) of falling. CONCLUSION: Clinical tests used during
the first week after stroke onset can, to some extent, identify those patients at risk of falling during the first year after stroke.

Langue : ANGLAIS