Session Information
Date: Thursday, June 8, 2017
Session Title: Other
Session Time: 1:15pm-2:45pm
Location: Exhibit Hall C
Objective: To compare Falls risk characteristics in male and female PD patients attending a multidisciplinary Movement disorders clinic.
Background: Parkinson’s disease is commoner in males. Both genders have a high risk of falls due to gait instability, freezing of gait, dyskinesia, postural hypotension and cognitive impairment. The results from the 2015 audit conducted by UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network has highlighted poor recording of blood pressure in clinics.
Methods: Idiopathic PD patients attending the clinic over a 6 month period in 2016 were identified using an electronic patients recording system. Data was collected using a structured proforma, recording duration of the disease, falls and other motor complications of PD and analysed to look for any gender differences in the falls characteristics.
Results: 142 patients attended clinic. 103 patients were included in the study. Exclusions were due to other causes of Parkinsonism and two attendances in 6 months.
[Table 1]
100% of our patients had their blood pressure checked. 100% were reviewed by therapists and offered falls prevention strategies.
Our study demonstrates that incidence of falls was similar in both genders. The cohort had more male patients with higher incidence of motor fluctuations, freezing and cognitive impairment which may be accounted for by the longer duration of the disease. Female patient had a higher incidence of freezing. Postural Hypotension was seen in both patient groups.
Conclusions: Patients attending a PD clinic should be assessed for all the risk factors for Falls and appropriate assessment and falls prevention strategies should be discussed by the clinician and therapists.
References: 1. UK Parkinson’s Excellence Network (2015). 2015 UK Parkinson’s Audit Summary Report, [Online]. Available at: https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/sites/default/files/audit2015_summaryreport.pdf (Accessed on 28th December 2016).
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
G. Alg, A. Chatterjee, F. Zahir. Falls characteristics of male and female patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2017; 32 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/falls-characteristics-of-male-and-female-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-pd/. Accessed June 14, 2025.« Back to 2017 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/falls-characteristics-of-male-and-female-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-pd/