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Fear of falling and falls in people with Parkinson’s disease treated with deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nuclei
Author(s) -
Nilsson M. H.,
Rehncrona S.,
Jarnlo G.B.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2010.01418.x
Subject(s) - fear of falling , deep brain stimulation , falling (accident) , subthalamic nucleus , medicine , parkinson's disease , physical therapy , poison control , physical medicine and rehabilitation , injury prevention , psychology , disease , psychiatry , emergency medicine
Nilsson MH, Rehncrona S, Jarnlo G‐B. Fear of falling and falls in people with Parkinson’s disease treated with deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nuclei.
Acta Neurol Scand: 2011: 123: 424–429.
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Background – No previous study prospectively investigated the effects of subthalamic deep brain stimulation on fear of falling (FOF) and falls. Aim – The aim was to prospectively explore whether FOF and fall rate were affected after STN stimulation in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods – Twenty participants (mean age: 65 , SD 6.4) were included. Falls and near falls were recorded (fall diary) during 3 months before and 1 year after surgery. FOF was evaluated using the Falls‐Efficacy Scale, Swedish version, FES(S), and the modified Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in the Elderly (SAFFE). Results – After surgery, the FES(S) scores of complex activities improved ( P = 0.026), i.e. median 34 (q1–q3, 26–50) vs 43 (32–55). SAFFE scores also improved ( P = 0.007): median 25 (22–30) versus 22 (18–27). The rate of near falls decreased ( P = 0.014). Nine participants reported no near falls. For the remaining ten participants, the median near fall rate decreased from 6 (3–17) to 2 (1–8). The rate of falls showed no significant ( P > 0.3) difference. Conclusions – After surgery, fewer activities were avoided owing to the risk of falling, and fall‐related self‐efficacy had improved during complex activities. The rate of near falls decreased. The results cannot support any change in fall rate.