The Association of Glycemic Control and Fall Risk in Diabetic Elderly: a Cross-sectional Study in Hong Kong

Background: Many foreign studies investigated glycemic control and fall risk. However, there was insufficient study on this topic in Hong Kong. This study aims to find out the association of glycemic control and fall risk in the diabetic elderly in a general outpatient clinic in the North District of Hong Kong. Their frequency of falls and other associated risk factors of fall were also studied.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on 442 diabetic patients aged 65 years-old or above with regular follow-up in a general outpatient clinic. Main outcome measure was the number of falls in the past one year from the interview date. Recurrent falls was defined as two or more falls in the past one year from the interview date. Subjects were asked about experience of hypoglycemic symptoms. HbA1c level, chronic illness, retinopathy etc. were obtained through computerized medical record review. Chi square test and logistic regression were used to assess the association between outcomes and the explanatory variables.

Results: In the past one year, 23.3% participants experienced at least one fall and 8.6% had recurrent falls. Hypoglycemic symptoms, and lower visual acuity < 0.6 were significantly associated with fall (OR 2.42, p = 0.007 and OR 1.75, p = 0.038 respectively). Age 75-79 years-old had a higher likelihood of fall than the 65-69 age group (OR 2.23, p = 0.044). Patients with HbA1c 7.0-7.4% had a lower risk of recurrent falls when compared to those with intensive control (OR 0.32, p = 0.044). Other risk factors that increased risk of recurrent falls were hypoglycemic symptoms (OR 6.64, p < 0.001) and history of cerebral vascular accident (OR 4.24, p = 0.003).

Conclusions: Hypoglycemic symptoms had a very strong association with falls. Less stringent HbA1c control reduced the risk of recurrent falls. Healthcare professionals need to take a more proactive approach in enquiring about hypoglycemia. There should be individualized diabetic treatment target for the diabetic elderly.