Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­

Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­

Explore the latest content from across our publications
Join The Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­

Log In

Forgot Password?
Create New Account

Loading... please wait

Abstract Details

Predictors of Falls, Emergency Department Visits, and Hospitalizations in an Advanced Multiple Sclerosis Population
Multiple Sclerosis
P5 - Poster Session 5 (8:00 AM-9:00 AM)
9-009
To determine the relationship between impairments in an advanced Multiple Sclerosis (MS) population seen within a tertiary rehabilitation clinic and rates of falls and health care usage.

Canada has the highest prevalence of MS in the world and it is expected to further increase.  Health care costs associated with MS are also likely to increase. Persons living with advanced MS (defined as an EDSS > 4.0), and their health care needs tend to be under-studied.  
A prospective cohort study in an MS Rehab Outpatient Clinic; only persons with an EDSS >4.0 were included in the analysis.
285 persons with MS met inclusion criteria and had the following demographics: mean EDSS 6.79 (1.14 SD); 60% female; 55% Secondary Progressive (SPMS); 33% Primary Progressive (PPMS); 11% Relapsing and Remitting (R&R); mean age 53.5 (11.3SD) years; and mean 17.4 (9.4SD) years post diagnosis.  Falls were experienced by 62% of patients with a mean of 8.5 (16.4SD) falls per year, 26% were admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) at least once in the year prior, and 16% were hospitalized. Persons with SPMS had the greatest rates of falls (mean 10.1 falls per year SD 19.7) and had multiple ED visits per year. There was a non-linear relationship between falls and EDSS with EDSS 6.0 – 7.5 having the greatest rates of falls. Falls significantly (p=0.005) predicted ED visits, and an ED visit increased the risk of admission to hospital by 5.2 times (95%CI 3.1 – 8.9, p<0.0001). There was a history of concussions in 42% of the population.
Persons living with advanced MS have high levels of disease-related burden that increase their risk of falls and subsequent admission to ED and hospitalization. Attention to falls risk reduction must remain a focus of MS care, ideally before irreversible disability sets in. 
Authors/Disclosures
Tania Bruno
PRESENTER 		No disclosure on file
No disclosure on file
No disclosure on file
No disclosure on file