Abstract:

Objective To investigate the influence of home environment on the incidence of home falls in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Methods Using a convenience sampling method, 260 patients with PD treated in the functional neurosurgery department of our hospital from May in 2020 to September in 2022 were enrolled as study projects. The patients were divided into non-home fall group and home fall group based on whether they had fallen in the past three months. A questionnaire survey including general information and home falls questionnaire, Movement Disorder Society (MDS) unified PD disease rating scale Ⅲ (UPDRS-Ⅲ), levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) and home falls and accidents screening tool (HOME FAST) was conducted, and the collected data was analyzed. Results There were 57 (22.5%) patients had fallen in the previous three months, 19 (33.3%) patients fell several times, 49 (86.0%) patients fell indoors, 51 (89.5%) patients fell mainly during the daytime, and 49(86.0%) patients fell without accompany. In the home environment, floor (84.5%) and toilet (63.2%) without anti-slip pads were the most common reason to lead to fall. The total score of HOME FAST in the home fall group was lower than that in the non-home fall group [(19.84±3.72) vs (21.27±2.72), t=3.190, P=0.002]. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that sundry objects in the passageway[odds ratio (OR)=1.214, P=0.003] and the lack of handrails beside the stairs (OR=1.333, P=0.028) were the major risk factors of home falls. Conclusions There is high incidence of home falls in PD patient, and the home environment have an impact on the occurrence of home falls. Sundry objects in the passageway and the lack of handrails beside the stairs are the major risk factors of home falls in patients with PD.

Key words: Parkinson disease, Movement disorder, Home falls, Home environment