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Lopes K.1, Pin A.1, Miranda R.1
1Federal University of Amazonas, Physiotherapy Dept., Coari, Brazil
Background: With advancing age, elderly people suffer declines in multiple systems, in this way, the body balance becomes compromised and the risk of falls, a limiting factor in the autonomy of this group.
Purpose: Relate the achieved score on the scales Tinetti and SPPB applied in the elderly to check the sensitivity of each one; and subsequently check to see if they are good predictors of risk of falls.
Methods: This was a cohort study-transversal, where the subjects randomly allocated in 2 groups one with healthy elderly (n=20) and another with the elderly with neuromotor disorders (n=19) were assessed by the protocols SPPB and Tinetti and were invited to answer the Questionnaire FRAQ Brazil. Was delivered to each research participant or the responsible a diary of falls, where it could be recorded the date of the occurrence of the fall, the causes that led to the event and the consequences for the health of the elderly. The correlation of the data was performed by means of the application of the Spearman Test.
Results: It was found a significant correlation between the items evaluating in SPPB and Tinetti, however the tests did not showed correlation among themselves when compared in the total scores. SPPB was more sensitive in identifying the minimal changes in balance and gait that were missed when assessed by Tinetti. It wasn´t found significant correlation between the scale of the Tinetti and the occurrence of falls, as like on with the SPPB; therefore, the scales were not considered good predictors of falls. There was a higher incidence of falls in the group of pathological (55,55% versus 26,31% healthy). Healthy individuals have reported as the major causes of fall factors extrinsic, as the road is slippery (52,63%), followed by uneven terrain (26,31%). Healthy individuals have reported as the major causes of fall factors extrinsic, as the road is slippery (52,63%), followed by uneven terrain (26,31%). Already neurological patients related to their instances of falling to the factors intrinsic weakness (33,33%), dizziness (22,22%) and limitation of LE (18,52%). As to the self-perception of risk factors for falls, 36,36% were considered to have a good feel for drops and the group that presented the better self-perception for the crashes was the healthy (68,42% vs 44,44%). However, the self-perception of health presented no correlation with the scores on the balance tests Tinetti and SPPB, nor to the occurrence of falls in both groups.
Conclusion(s): For this sample, the scale SPPB was more sensitive to identify differences in gait and balance when compared with the Tinetti. However, both scales weren´t considered as good predictors of falls.
Implications: This research allowed us to show the usefulness of a rating scale of use is relatively recent in Brazil, as well as knowing to what extent one can infer information and risks with the use only of the scales of balance and gait, or to associate them to the application of other assessment instruments.
Funding acknowledgements: UFAM, CNPQ, FAPEAM.
Topic: Older people
Ethics approval: Federal University of Amazonas Research Ethics Commitee
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
