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Abstract

Background: Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. Fall is a common scenario in our day to day clinical practice among the older people but it is more common among the Parkinson’s people. Objectives: The study was conducted to assess the frequency of fall and to ascertain the risk association among the idiopathic Parkinson’s patients.

Methodology: The observational study was conducted from July to December 2017 in the district of Jessore, Bangladesh. Both the male and female clinically diagnosed as idiopathic Parkinson’s disease without taking antiparkinsonian medication were recruited in the study. Those having Parkinson’s disease due to stroke or secondary causes, orthostatic hypotension, taking antiparkinsonian drugs and the drugs may mimicking Parkinson’s disease were excluded from the study.

Result: A total of 111 patients were analyzed of which 69.4% (N=77) male and 30.6% (N=34) female with the mean age of our participants were 66±10 years. The event of fall among the idiopathic Parkinson’s patients was 36.9% in the last one year where single, two and three or more episodes of fall were 20.7%, 3.6%, and 12.6% respectively. No significant difference observed between faller and non-fallers among different demographic characteristics including age (p:0.091) sex (p:0.058) educational level (p:0.235), occupational status (p:0.220) and residency (p:0.547). Experience of fall found more in high BMI (p:0.037), hypertensive (p:0.018), diabetic (p:0.009) and in patients receiving multiple medications (p: 0.011). But the duration of Parkinsonism (p:0.835) does not increase fall.

Conclusion: Identification of risk factors in preventing falls has become one of the most important unmet needs in Parkinson’s disease and potential strategies to prevent falls should be focused.

Biography

AV Srinivasan is the Emeritus Professor of The Tamilnadu Dr. MGR Medical University. He has driven by his quest for excellence and the latest discoveries on human brain related disorders, joined Madras Medical College (MMC) and received MD (General Medicine) in 1978. Later he pursued and received DM in Neurology from his alma mater. He is first Neurophysician of his state Tamil Nadu in India in government service to be conferred, the Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) in London in 2012, fellowship of the Indian Academy of Neurology 2004 and fellowship by the American Academy of Neurology, in 2003. He is the first Indian to receive American Indian Neurology Award (AINA) in the USA in 2001, for the best paper presentation In Stroke during Annual American Academy of Neurology meeting in 2001 in Philadelphia by the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University. Currently, serving as a Member-in the Academic Council of National Institute of Mental health and Neurosciences, Deemed University, Bangalore.

E-mail: avsekhar195@yahoo.com