Inflammatory markers and occurrence of falls: Bambuí Cohort Study of Aging

• Main Authors: Juleimar Soares Coelho de Amorim, Karen Cecília Lima Torres, Andréa Teixeira-Carvalho, Olindo Assis Martins-Filho, Maria Fernanda Lima-Costa, Sérgio Viana Peixoto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo 2019-04-01
• Series: Revista de Saúde Pública
• Subjects: Idoso; Envelhecimento; Acidentes por Quedas; Fatores de Risco; Biomarcadores; Mediadores da Inflamação
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-89102019000100231&lng=en&tlng=en

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE Analyze whether inflammatory markers are associated with falls among older adults living in Bambuí. METHODS Study that analyzed baseline data from a Bambuí Cohort Study of Aging, involving 1,250 participants. Data about falls were collected from previous 12 months, classified as single or multiple occurrence and severity (participant seeking health services). Information about sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors and health condition was also collected and used as confounding factors. The exposures of interest included interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), ultra-sensitive C-reactive protein (us-CRP) and chemokines (CXCL9, CCL5, CCL10, MCP1). Data were processed through logistic regression, obtaining odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (95%CI). RESULTS The prevalence of falls was 27.1%; 40.1% of the older adults reported multiple falls and 33.3% sought health services. After adjustments, the following elevated levels were associated with falls: us-CRP (OR = 1.46, 95%CI 1.04–2.03), CCL5 (OR = 1.38, 95%CI 1.01–1.90) and CXCL9 (OR = 1.43, 95%CI 1.02–2.02). An association was observed between the number of elevated markers and the occurrence of falls: two (OR = 1.47, 95%CI 1.02–2.12) and three (OR = 2.08, 95%CI 1.12–3.87) elevated biomarkers indicated fall probability of 32.0% and 39.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Elevated levels of us-CRP, CCL5 and CXCL9, which were associated with falls, may contribute to a proper understanding of the mechanism associated with the occurrence of falls among older people.