Gawronska K, Lorkowski J. Falls as One of the Atypical Presentations of COVID-19 in Older Population.
Geriatr Orthop Surg Rehabil 2021;
12:2151459321996619. [PMID:
33680533 PMCID:
PMC7900839 DOI:
10.1177/2151459321996619]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction:
Studies revealed COVID-19 atypical symptoms such as falls, delirium,
confusion, dizziness, unusual fatigue in older patients. Falls in the older
population and their consequences are one of the leading causes of
disability; they significantly reduce the quality of life and lead to loss
of independence and impaired social functioning. The aim of this study is to
present the possible correlation between COVID-19 and diseases of the
musculoskeletal system, in particular the occurrence of fall-related
injuries.
Significance:
This article highlights the importance of falls as one of the atypical
symptoms of COVID-19 infection in older adults, which is not directly
associated with infection and could be misinterpreted.
Methods:
The conducted meta-analysis is based on a review of the scientific literature
available in English, French, Dutch, Polish in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane
Library, Embase, Scopus, PEDro, GBL databases from December 1, 2019 to July
30, 2020, covering Clinical Trial, Randomized Controlled Trial,
Meta-Analysis, Systematic Reviews and Case Reports. The following keywords
were taken into account: fall, (hip/pertrochanteric/proximal femur)
fracture, aged and COVID-19. Twenty-seven references were accepted for final
analysis.
Results:
It was found that symptoms such as falls observed in the older adults can be
associated with COVID-19 infection. Falls and slips are also the most common
mechanism for hip fracture during the pandemic outbreak.
Conclusions:
According to authors of this study, atypical presentations of COVID-19 should
be considered when screening and testing the people at increased risk due to
their age. However, further prospective studies are urgently needed to
investigate the possible correlation between COVID-19 and falls in older
adults.
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