Abstract
Objective: To analyze some factors related to falling in stroke patients treated at Cua Dong General Hospital – Nghe An in 2024.
Study subjects: 55 stroke patients, including both hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes (with or without falls after stroke), who were examined and treated at Cua Dong General Hospital from February 2024 to October 2024.
Method: Cross-sectional descriptive study.
Results: The average age of the fall group was 67.45 ± 11.08 years, with 45.45% having a history of falls, of which 60% were women. Some clinical features with a high incidence in patients who fell after a stroke include: balance disorders (64%), sensory disorders (40%), sleep disturbances (44%), and visual disturbances (32%). 28% of patients after falling had severe consequences such as fractures, vertebral compression, and 40% had mild consequences such as skin abrasions and bruises. The average FES-I score (fear of falling assessment) was higher in the fall group (51.68 ± 10.88) compared to the non-fall group (37.27 ± 10.02). Regression analysis showed that factors related to falling in stroke patients include: Female gender (OR = 4.929, p = 0.007), age (OR = 1.081, p = 0.01), balance disorders (OR = 4.889, p = 0.007), use of psychotropic drugs (OR = 4.615, p = 0.016), frequent use of ≥4 medications (OR = 4.125, p = 0.015), and fear of falling (OR = 1.140, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that female gender, older age, balance disorders, psychotropic drug use, number of medications used, and fear of falling are factors associated with the risk of falling in stroke patients.