Falls among older adults leading to increase in spinal injuries

A story by United Press International (UPI) discovered that traumatic spinal cord injuries are on the rise in the United States and the leading cause no longer is motor vehicle crashes, but falls, researchers say. The story appeared in the   Journal of Neurotrauma.

UPI’s source was Dr. Shalini Selvarajah, a post-doctoral surgical research fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, who noted that the rates of these injuries -- whose symptoms range from temporary numbness to full-blown paralysis -- were rising fastest among older people, suggesting preventing falls could significantly curb spinal injuries.

According to UPI “Selvarajah and colleagues analyzed data from 43,137 adults treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for spinal cord injury from 2007 to 2009. While the incidence among those ages 18 to 64 ranged from 52.3 per million in 2007 to 49.9 per million in 2009, the incidence per million in those 65 and older increased from 79.4 in 2007 to 87.7 in 2009.

Falls were the leading cause of traumatic spinal cord injury over the three-year study period at 41.5 percent, followed by motor vehicle crashes at 35.5 percent. Fall-related spinal cord injuries increased during the study period overall. Among the elderly, they increased from 23.6 percent to 30 percent of injuries.

The researchers said even when taking into account injury severity and other illnesses experienced by the patients, older adults with traumatic spinal cord injury were four times more likely to die in the emergency room from such an injury compared with younger adults. If they survive and are admitted, they are six times more likely to die during their hospital stay.

Recognizing the inherent dangers of home falls, all Assisting Hands home aides are trained in fall prevention. 
Richard Ueberfluss, PT
www.assistinghands.com/naperville 

Can more exercise prevent heart attacks?

Quoting from a study by the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, HealthDay News reports that being physically fit can help prevent heart attacks and increase survival in people with stable coronary artery disease.

This was true whether or not the patients underwent a procedure to open blocked heart arteries.

Researchers analyzed data from more than 9,800 adults with coronary artery disease who underwent a treadmill stress test. They were also followed for 11 years to see if they suffered a heart attack, had undergone a procedure to open blocked heart arteries or had died from any cause.

"In our study, the patients who were most fit had a 75 percent lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who were least fit. This was true regardless of whether the patient had previous stenting or bypass surgery to open up any blocked arteries," study author Rupert Hung, a Hopkins medical student.

Although the study found an association between greater exercise capacity and reduced risk of complications from heart disease, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. The findings highlight the importance of exercise and fitness for people with coronary artery disease, according to the researchers.

At Assisting Hands, our home aides, trained by two physical therapists, can help keep home-bound seniors with heart problems stay active to reduce a potential heart attack.   Ask us about our preventive health programs.    

Richard Ueberfluss, PT

www.assistinghands.com/naperville

Seniors Account for 9 out of the 10 Most Frequent, Fastest Growing Conditions in U.S. Hospitals

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which has analysed data from the Hospital Cost and Utilization project , senior health conditions accounted  for  9 out of the 10 most frequent, fastest growing conditions  leading to  hospitalization in 2011.  While seniors may not account for most of the conditions listed, they are common among this age group.

. According to AHRQ's Statistical Brief #162, the most frequent diagnoses in 2011 were:

1. Liveborn (newborn infant) —123 stays per 10,000 population

2. Pneumonia — 36 stays per 10,000 population

*3. Septicemia — 35 stays per 10,000 population

4. Congestive heart failure (nonhypertensive) — 31 stays per 10,000 population

*5. Osteoarthritis — 31 stays per 10,000 population

6. Mood disorders — 29 stays per 10,000 population.

7. Cardiac dysrhythmias — 26 stays per 10,000 population

8. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiectasis — 23 stays per 10,000 population

9. Complication of device, implant, or graft — 22 stays per 10,000 population

10. Spondylosis, intervertebral disc disorders and other back problems — 21 per 10,000 population.

Particularly alarming is the increase in some condition between1997 and 2011.

1. Acute and unspecified renal failure — 346 percent increase (from 4 to 16 stays per 10,000 population)

*3. Septicemia — 132 percent increase (from 15 to 35 stays per 10,000 population)

4. Pulmonary Heart Disease — 118 percent increase (from 3 to 6 stays per 10,000 population)

*5. Osteoarthritis — 102 percent increase (from 15 to 31 stays per 10,000 population)

6. Anemia — 100 percent increase (from 4 to 7 stays per 10,000 population)

7. Respiratory failure, insufficiency or arrest — 78 percent increase (from 7 to 13 stays per 10,000 population)

8. Skin and subcutaneous tissue infections — 73 percent increase (from 12 to 21 stays per 10,000 population)

For comparison, the average percentage change for all principle diagnoses between 1997 and 2011 was a 3 percent decrease.

By Richard Ueberfluss, Physical Therapist
www.assistinghands.com/hinsdale