Risque de chute d'origine neurologique dans une population tunisienne âgée

Neurological impairments in the elderly are thought to increase the risk of falls. The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence and the complications of falls among patients followed in the department of neurology, Habib Bourguiba Hospital (Tunisia) for neurological diseases, to analyze the characteristic features of patients and to determine the impact of various common neurological pathologies on the risk of falls. One hundred and fifty patients were included in our descriptive, analytic, cross-sectional study. Almost three quarters of the patients fell at least once, with recurrent falls in 42.6%. Falls were complicated by injuries, fractures and subdural hematoma in 24, 15 and 1 cases, respectively. Patients with dementia (82.3%), neuropathies (75%), epilepsy (69%), Parkinson's disease (68.5%), headache (68.4%), stroke (89%) or essential tremor (50%) showed a particularly marked predisposition to falls. Neuropathies and dementia predisposed to recurrent falls. A lower ADL score, a Timed Up-and-Go Test of more than 20 seconds, single-limb stance of 5 seconds or less and a poorer ability to climb stairs were linked to greater risk of falls. Medical practitioners should be aware of the high risk of falls among elderly neurological patients.