Fall risk assessment and sarcopenia in the elderly with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated at a Belém university hospital, Pará State, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of falls and sarcopenia in elderly people diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated by the pulmonary rehabilitation of the Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto in Belém, Pará State, Brazil.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

It is an observational descriptive study with elderly patients with COPD (classified in GOLD 3 and 4) treated in outpatient care. For the evaluation, basic sociodemographic features were checked, it was used the Tinetti test to classify the risk of falls and calf circumference was used as a predictor of sarcopenia.

RESULTS:

A total of 24 elderly people were evaluate, mostly men with prevalent age group 60-67 years old. About the risk of falls, 21 (87.5%) patients had low risk. According to the indicative of sarcopenia, six (25%) patients presented this indicative and 18 (75%) did not present it.

CONCLUSION:

In the literature, COPD has been related to high risk of falls, however, in this study, a different result was found. The frequency of risk of falls was low and sarcopenia was considered relevant, but it is possible that more precise methods, which evaluate lean mass distribution of each body segment and analysis of a greater number of patients, can check this prevalence more appropriately in older adults with COPD.