Abstract
BackgroundFalls are a frequent health problem with potentially severe consequences among the elderly. Due to the aging HIV population, there is a growing interest in falls as a geriatric syndrome in HIV research and clinical practice. Previous studies found rather high prevalences of falls in this population and focused on biomedical and demographic risk factors for falls. Psychosocial risk factors like stigma, social support or loneliness were not previously assessed as correlates of fall events in this population.MethodsWe assessed self-reported fall frequency in the past 12 months in a nationwide sample of 897 community-dwelling people aged 50 years or older living with HIV in Germany using a cross-sectional study design. We calculated odds of any fall for sociodemographic and HIV-related variables in bivariate analyses and for comorbidities, and psychosocial variables in bivariate and adjusted analyses.ResultsEighteen percent of our participants reported at least one fall in the preceding 12 months, 12 % reported recurring falls. A lower socioeconomic status, being single and living alone were significantly associated with a higher risk for falling. An AIDS diagnosis was related to fall risk, but time since diagnosis and a detectable viral load were not. Reporting at least one comorbidity increased fall risk in our sample 2.5 times (95% CI: 1.59; 3.97). The strongest association with fall risk was found for diseases of the central nervous system, heart disease, rheumatism, osteoporosis, and chronic pain. Experienced HIV stigma (AOR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.58; 2.83) and internalized HIV stigma (AOR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.12; 1.85), as well as social support (AOR: .92; 95% CI: .86; .99) and loneliness (AOR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.22; 1.87) were significantly related to fall risk in bivariate and adjusted analyses.ConclusionsWe found a low prevalence of falls in our sample of community-dwelling people aging with HIV. Our results show evidence for a strong association between comorbidity and falling, and between psychosocial factors and falling. Especially the strong association between experienced HIV stigma and fall risk is noteworthy and adds falls to the list of health outcomes affected by HIV stigma.
Highlights
Falls are a frequent health problem with potentially severe consequences among the elderly
Falls in people aging with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) While the population of people living with HIV/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is aging, there is a growing interest in geriatric syndromes in HIV research and clinical practice
Authors have argued that risk factors for geriatric syndromes are widespread, and geriatric syndromes are common among people aging with HIV/AIDS (PAWH) [4]; and that PAWH are affected by these syndromes at a younger age compared to the general population [5]
Summary
Falls are a frequent health problem with potentially severe consequences among the elderly. Due to the aging HIV population, there is a growing interest in falls as a geriatric syndrome in HIV research and clinical practice. Previous studies found rather high prevalences of falls in this population and focused on biomedical and demographic risk factors for falls. Falls in people aging with HIV While the population of people living with HIV/AIDS is aging, there is a growing interest in geriatric syndromes in HIV research and clinical practice. Authors have argued that risk factors for geriatric syndromes are widespread, and geriatric syndromes are common among people aging with HIV/AIDS (PAWH) [4]; and that PAWH are affected by these syndromes at a younger age compared to the general population [5]. A recent study reported a strong association between falls and mortality in middle-aged adults with HIV [14]
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