Pathophysiological aspects of human aging and falls in the elderly

Abstract

Falls are a public health problem among the elderly, in view of mortality, morbidity and social and economic costs. The theme is highly valued by gerontology and a source of concern for researchers in this area, especially when people consider this event normal and part of the aging process. A fall can be defined as "one unintentional event which results in the change in position of the individual to a lower level in relation to its initial position." People of all ages are at risk of falling. However, for the elderly, they have a much greater relevance as they may lead to disability, injury and death. The social cost is enormous and becomes larger when the elderly have decreased autonomy and independence or need institutionalization. It is known that a high number of elderly people fall and radically change their daily lives, both for the fall itself, as for the fear of a recurrence, restricting their activities, increasing social isolation and decline in health impacting on the risk of being institutionalized. Among the risk factors, the most frequent are deterioration of vision, simultaneous use of drugs (especially diuretics and psychoactive) and reduced flexibility (hip and ankle), factors that should be considered in programs to prevent falls in the elderly. Besides physical and psychological damage, these accidents generate higher costs for health care, expressed by the use of specialized services and increased hospitalizations. Thus, there are several studies analyzing falls in the elderly, both with regard to epidemiology, etiology and risk factors, as compared to the consequences of these events. For future studies are indicated possible preventive interventions, this study explored the process of investigation of falls in the elderly. Given the above, this article aims to do a review of the history of falls in the elderly and suggest how therapy interferes to minimize their occurrence.