Table 1. Causes of falls in elderly adults: summary of 12
studiesa
that carefully evaluated elderly persons after a fall
and specified a ‘most likely’ cause
a
Adapted from [15].
b
Mean percentage calculated from the 3,628 falls in the 12 studies. c
Ranges indicate the percentage reported in each of the 12 studies.
d
This category includes arthritis, acute illness, drugs, alcohol, pain, epilepsy and
falling from bed.
Cause
Mean
percentageb
(%) Rangec
(%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
‘Accident’/environment-related 31 1–53
Gait/balance disorders or weakness 17 4–39
Dizziness/vertigo 13 0–30
Drop attack 9 0–52
Confusion 5 0–14
Postural hypotension 3 0–24
Visual disorder 2 0–5
Syncope 0.3 0–3
Other specified causesd 15 2–39
Unknown 5 0–21