TY - JOUR DB - PubMed AU - Maeker, E AU - Bombois, S AU - Pardessus, V AU - Tiberghien, F AU - Dipompeo, C AU - Thevenon, A AU - Dewailly, P AU - Puisieux, F T1 - Cognitive disorders and falls: experience of the Lille multidisciplinary falls service TT - Troubles cognitifs et chutes: l'expérience de la consultation multidisciplinaire de la chute de Lille LA - fre SN - 0035-3787 Y1 - 2005/04/ AB - BACKGROUND: Falls and dementia are two major public health problems which concern the elderly population. Cognitive impairment, as a result of Alzheimer's disease or non-Alzheimer dementia, is recognized as a risk factor for falling. Through the experience of the Multidisciplinary Falls Consultation, our aims were first, to evaluate the prevalence of a cognitive decline among outpatients who consult for falls, and second, to determine whether the cognitive impairment was known and diagnosed before the consultation or not. METHODS: Data concerning the first 300 outpatients who completed the initial evaluation are reported. Each patient was assessed by a geriatrician, a neurologist, and a physiatrist, who visited him or her at home. Cognitive impairment was defined as a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score<24. RESULTS: Of the 300 patients, 228 patients completed the initial evaluation. Among them, 97 (42.5 percent) had a MMSE score<24; 55 had mild stage dementia (MMSE score between 23 and 18) and 42 were at a moderate or severe stage (MMSE score< or =17/30). The cognitive decline was not diagnosed before the consultation in 80 of the 97 patients (82 percent). CONCLUSION: The findings show that a large proportion of old persons presenting with gait disturbance at the Multidisciplinary Falls Consultation have an underlying cognitive decline. Assessment of cognitive functions is required in every elderly faller. SP - 419 EP - 426 VL - 161 IS - 4 AN - 15924077 UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15924077 DO - 10.1016/s0035-3787(05)85071-4 U1 - 15924077[pmid] U4 - MDOI-RN-04-2005-161-4-0035-3787-101019-200501758[PII] J2 - Rev Neurol (Paris) JF - Revue neurologique KW - *Accidental Falls KW - Aged KW - Aged, 80 and over KW - Cognition Disorders/*complications/epidemiology KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Male KW - Paris KW - Retrospective Studies CY - France ER -