Article

Falls in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are a serious health
concern, and the percentage of people who restrict their activity because of
concerns about falling (CAF) is not known. Mobility function and accumulated
impairments are associated with fall risk in older adults but not in people with
stroke and have not been studied in people with MS. The purposes of
this study were: (1) to estimate the percentage of people who have MS and report
falling, CAF, and activity restrictions related to CAF; (2) to examine
associations of these factors with fall status; and (3) to explore associations
of fall status with mobility function and number of accumulated impairments.
DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. METHODS: A total of 575
community-dwelling people with MS provided information about sociodemographics,
falls, CAF, activity restrictions related to CAF, mobility function, and
accumulated impairments. Chi-square statistics were used to explore associations
among these factors. RESULTS: In all participants, about 62% reported CAF and
about 67% reported activity restrictions related to CAF. In participants who did
not experience falls, 25.9% reported CAF and 27.7% reported activity restrictions
related to CAF. Mobility function was associated with fall status; participants
reporting moderate mobility restrictions reported the highest percentage of
falls, and participants who were nonwalkers (ie, had severely limited
self-mobility) reported the lowest percentage. Falls were associated with
accumulated impairments; the participants who reported the highest percentage of
2 or more falls were those with 10 impairments. LIMITATIONS: This cross-sectional
study relied on self-reported falls, mobility, and impairment status, which were
not objectively verified. CONCLUSIONS: Both CAF and activity restrictions related
to CAF were common in people with MS and were reported by people who experienced
falls and those who did not. The association of fall status with mobility
function did not appear to be linear. Fall risk increased with declining mobility
function; however, at a certain threshold, further declines in mobility function
were associated with fewer falls, possibly because of reduced fall risk exposure.

Langue : ANGLAIS