Risk of fall in middle-aged and older adult patients with chronic lung disease: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

TL;DR

This study shows that middle-aged and older adults with chronic lung disease in China are at higher risk of falling compared to those without the condition.

Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the increased fall risk specifically among Chinese adults with chronic lung disease.

Findings

Patients with CLD had a 33.5% fall incidence compared to 27.5% in non-CLD individuals.

After adjusting for confounders, CLD was associated with a 19% higher fall risk (OR = 1.19).

Results were consistent across logistic regression and propensity score matching analyses.

Abstract

Chronic lung disease (CLD) not only manifests with respiratory symptoms but is often associated with various systemic conditions that may elevate the risk of falls. This study aimed to evaluate the independent association between chronic lung disease (CLD) and fall risk among middle-aged and older adult Chinese adults.

We enrolled participants aged over 45 years from the baseline wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) conducted in 2011 and divided them into two groups based on the presence of CLD: the CLD group and the non-CLD group. Follow-up assessments were subsequently performed during the 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2020 survey waves to track longitudinal outcomes. The primary endpoint was the incidence of falls (≥1 fall event) during the entire follow-up period (2011–2020). To address potential confounding and strengthen causal inference, we employed a multivariable logistic regression model, conducted propensity score matching, and performed subgroup analyses.

A total of 9,204 participants were included in the study, consisting of 940 patients with CLD and 8,264 individuals in the non-CLD group. The incidence of falls among patients with CKD was 33.5% (315/940), which was higher than the 27.5% (2,275/8264) observed in the non-CLD group (p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding factors using logistic regression, the incidence of falls in the CLD group was found to be significantly higher compared to the non-CLD group (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.38, p = 0.02). Similar results were observed in the propensity score matching analysis and subgroup analyses.

Our study found that the risk of falls is significantly increased in middle-aged and older adult patients with CLD in China, highlighting the importance of fall screening and risk prevention programs for CLD patients.

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