• Wan Feng Ong, Shahrul B Kamaruzzaman, and Maw Pin Tan.
• Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• Int. J. Clin. Pract. 2021 Dec 1; 75 (12): e14999.

IntroductionOlder persons with diabetes are at an increased risk of falls leading to fractures, head injuries and disability.ObjectiveTo evaluate the potential relationship between falls and diabetes in older persons and identify differences in risk factors of falls among older persons with and without diabetes using the first wave dataset of the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study.MethodologyCommunity dwelling adults aged ≥ 55 years were selected through stratified random sampling from three parliamentary constituencies in greater Kuala Lumpur. Baseline data was obtained through computer-assisted, home-based interviews. The presence of falls was established by enquiring about falls in the preceding 12 months. Diabetes was defined as self-reported, physician-diagnosed diabetes, diabetes medication use and an HbA1c of ≥ 6.3%.ResultsDiabetes was present in 44.4% of the overall 1610 participants. The prevalence for fall among older diabetics was 25.6%. Recurrent falls (odds ratio (OR) 1.65; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-2.57) was more common among diabetics. Following adjustment for potential confounders, osteoporosis (OR 2.58; 95% CI 1.31-5.08) and dizziness (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.01-2.23) were independent risk factors for falls. Better instrumental activities of daily living scores were protective against falls (OR 0.75; 95% CI 0.58-0.97).ConclusionThe presence of osteoporosis and dizziness was associated with an increased risk of falls among older diabetics. These findings will need to be confirmed in future prospective follow-up of this cohort.© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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