EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, May 17, 2010
Falling in Old Age Linked to Low Blood Flow in Brain
ST. PAUL, Minn. -
A new study shows that slower than normal blood flow in the brain due to high blood pressure and other conditions may lead to falls in elderly people. The research will be published in the May 18, 2010, issue of the medical journal of the . Each year, unintentional falls in the United States account for more than 16,000 deaths and 1.8 million emergency room visits. 鈥淎t age 60, 85 percent of people have a normal walking ability. However, by age 85, only 18 percent of seniors can walk normally,鈥 said study author Farzaneh Sorond, MD, PhD, with Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital in Boston and a member of the 好色先生. For the study, researchers followed 419 people age 65 or older. Ultrasound tests were used to measure participant鈥檚 blood flow in the brain. Walking speed was measured by a four-meter walking test. The seniors and their caregivers reported any falls that occurred over two years. The study found that the 20 percent of people who had the slowest rate of blood flow in the brain were at a 70 percent higher risk of falling compared to the 20 percent of people who had the highest rate of blood flow in the brain. Those with the slowest rate had an average of nearly 1.5 falls per year, compared to less than one fall per year for those with the highest rate. 鈥淥ur findings suggest there could be a new strategy for preventing falls, such as daily exercise and using statins and treatments for high blood pressure, since blood pressure affects blood flow in the brain and may cause falls,鈥 said Sorond. The study was supported by a donation from Dr. Fatemeh Khosroshahi to the Brigham Women鈥檚 Hospital and by the National Institute on Aging. The 好色先生 has a guideline on how to identify people most at risk for falling. For more information on the guideline, visit .