Conclusions The use of sedatives and hypnotics and antidepressants including tricyclic antidepressants , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors , and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors appears to be related with an increased risk of falls .
It is not clear if the use of antihypertensive medications is associated with the risk of falls in older people
Purpose Falls are an important public health problem in older people .
Medication use is considered a risk factor for falls .
This study systematic ally review ed recent studies to determine the medications that might be associated with the risk of falling in older people .
Risk factors for falls among elderly persons living in the community.
To study risk factors for falling , we conducted a one-year prospect i ve investigation , using a sample of 336 persons at least 75 years of age who were living in the community . All subjects underwent detailed clinical evaluation , including st and ardized measures of mental status , strength , reflexes , balance , and gait ; in addition , we inspected their homes for environmental hazards . Falls and their circumstances were identified during bimonthly telephone calls . During one year of follow-up , 108 subjects ( 32 percent ) fell at least once ; 24 percent of those who fell had serious injuries and 6 percent had fractures . Predisposing factors for falls were identified in linear-logistic models . The adjusted odds ratio for  sedative use was 28.3 ; for cognitive impairment , 5.0 ; for disability of the lower extremities , 3.8 ; for palmomental reflex , 3.0 ; for abnormalities of balance and gait , 1.9 ; and for foot problems , 1.8 ; the lower bounds of the 95 percent confidence intervals were 1 or more for all variables . The risk of falling increased linearly with the number of risk factors , from 8 percent with none to 78 percent with four or more risk factors ( P less than 0.0001 ) . About 10 percent of the falls occurred during acute illness , 5 percent during hazardous activity , and 44 percent in the presence of environmental hazards . We conclude that falls among older persons living in the community are common and that a simple clinical assessment can identify the elderly persons who are at the greatest risk of falling
Conclusions The use of sedatives and hypnotics and antidepressants including tricyclic antidepressants , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors , and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors appears to be related with an increased risk of falls .
It is not clear if the use of antihypertensive medications is associated with the risk of falls in older people
Purpose Falls are an important public health problem in older people .
Medication use is considered a risk factor for falls .
This study systematic ally review ed recent studies to determine the medications that might be associated with the risk of falling in older people .